


A Different Choice

by MaxiBrux



Series: Different Choices [1]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: AU Canon Divergence, All Clarkecentric, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-11-09
Packaged: 2020-09-28 17:21:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 43,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20429627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaxiBrux/pseuds/MaxiBrux
Summary: A series of one shots of what happens when someone makes a different choice to the one in canon.  They are all stand alone and canon up to the point of the change of choice eg what could happen if Finn chose to tell Clarke about Raven at the start?Tags will change as each chapter/one shot is added.Suggestions for new stories welcome.1 - Abby Chooses to Let Jaha Die2 - Clarke Chooses to Make Bellamy Write the List of 100 Potential Survivors and to keep Bryan away when Roan’s army marches on Arkadia3 - Bellamy Chooses to let Clarke fall into the Grounder Pit4 - Bellamy Chooses to Stay With Clarke at Praimfayer (Clrk/Bell)5 - Roan Chooses to Befriend Clarke Rather Than Take her to Lexa (Clrk/Rn)6 - Clarke Chooses to Punish Emerson (Clrk/Lx)7 - Cillian Chooses to be Honest with Clarke (Clrk/Clln)8 - Clarke Chooses not to Give the Flame to Roan (Poly)9 - Blodreina Chooses to Challenge Wanheda10-Clarke Chooses not to hike to Mt Weather when the dropship lands





	1. Abby Chooses to Not Exceed the Medical Allowance and Let Jaha Die

**Author's Note:**

> How many times have you shouted at the screen when someone made the wrong choice? How many times have you wondered about how the series would change if a character decided to do 'X' rather than 'Y'? This is my take on how things might have gone if ...

Raven was coming to after being knocked out from her painful and uncontrolled landing on earth. She was looking around in fascination when she saw someone she was not expecting to see.  
Clarke heard Raven shout “You’re the one who killed the Chancellor!” and suddenly all was made clear. Bellamy wanted the Arc to think they were all dead so that they wouldn’t come down to the ground and he wouldn’t be arrested and executed when they came down. There was only one thing to do.  
“You have to die” Clarke announced.  
“What?” Bellamy exclaimed, “Are you kidding me? I did all that so that I could come down here to protect Octavia. If I die then it would all be for nothing.”  
“We have to make the Arc think you’re dead. Whose name can you take over, we’ll have to find a way to change your appearance so that no one will recognise you, and I think that we will have to stay away from the Arkers when they get here, although there might be safety in numbers, but I’m not too sure that we would be seen as anything other than delinquents to them no matter that we had supposedly been pardoned.”  
Clarke thought for a moment, trying to work out all possible ramifications on Bellamy Blake being alive and pretending to not be. She eventually reached a decision; she just hoped that he, and everyone else, would go along with it.  
“Raven, Bellamy is an important part of our little community. Love him or hate him, or even be indifferent, but he is one of the main reasons there are as many of us alive as there are so we are not going to hand him over to be executed, no matter how much he deserves it” the latter point was added as Raven looked about to argue.  
“He shouldn’t have died” Bellamy said as he justified his actions. “I shot him in a place that should have allowed him to be treated and saved.”  
“He probably fell foul to reduced medical allowances” Clarke said ruminatively. “Anyway, Raven, can you get on the radio and try to make contact saying nothing more than most of us are still alive but that there are already other peoples here who are not taking kindly to people crash landing in their territory?”  
Raven did as Clarke suggested, it took some time to get through, and she hoped that the full message was received so that the Arkers could take appropriate precautions when they came down.

Around the camp fire that night Clarke decided to talk to the whole camp.  
“When we came down we were told that we would be forgiven our crimes” Clarke was interrupted by exclamations that suggested that the delinquents did not quite believe that. “And I agree that while in principle we may be pardoned, I also think that to most people we would be considered as criminals who got away with it and our prospects for the future with them are bleak.”  
There were murmurs of agreement from all areas, even from those who had probably not given the matter of their future any thought.  
“And” Clarke continued, “I’m not sure how I feel about being pardoned for something that I didn’t even do” and one or two others, Octavia included, nodded their own agreement. “But that is all beside the point for Bellamy” and all eyes turned to their charismatic co-leader. “Bellamy was not included in the blanket pardon and if the Arkers come to earth and find Bell then he will be executed.” Clarke paused to allow the thought of them losing one of their own by the very people who locked them up and threw them to the ground without any worthwhile preparation (Clarke didn’t think that a few Earth Skills lessons really counted as effective preparation) or supplies. “Now, I think that what Bellamy did was wrong and he should be punished” and once again Clarke was interrupted by people who seemed to want to argue with her so she raised her voice to talk over the cacophony, “but I’m sure that most of you would agree that being in charge of so many teenagers could be regarded as sufficient, if not cruel and unusual, punishment for the crime of doing everything he could to protect his little, sorry, younger sister, locked up and sent down here for the so called crime of just being born.”  
There was a little raucous laughter as they agreed with Clarke’s summation of Bellamy’s crime and punishment, but it was only the start of what Clarke wanted from her people.  
“So we agree that Bellamy’s punishment should be to continue to be responsible for our safety and keeping us housed, fed and alive?”  
And there was loud cheers of agreement.  
“I think that you’re forgetting that I don’t, and can’t lead alone and you, Clarke, seem to be saying that you are being punished too!” Bellamy tried to take some of the attention away from him.  
Clarke smirked a bit thinking that Bellamy clearly had not realised that she was not finished. “It’s not punishment for me because I’m naturally bossy and am enjoying my work and having so many people to talk to following 14 months in solitary.” There were a few smirks of amused understanding as Clarke continued: “So the point is, we need to prevent people from the Arc wanting to arrest and punish Bellamy when they come down.”  
“Why are they coming down?” was shouted, “I thought we took our bracelets off so they would think we were dead and so they wouldn’t come down and try to take us over.”  
“The Arc is dying” Clarke stated plainly, resulting in shocked silence. “There is a problem with the oxygenation that can’t be fixed. They have months, at best, before everyone dies of suffocation so they have no choice but to come to earth.”  
There was snort or derision from one of boys who had made clear that he despised Clarke right from the start, always happy to make the Princesses life miserable. “How the hell would you know that, you’re not Engineering?”  
“No, but my dad was the Chief Engineer who discovered the problem. He wanted to go public and let everyone know what was happening but the Council didn’t agree because they said it would cause mass panic, using up the oxygen even quicker, and floated him to stop him from talking. And, once they realised that my dad had talked to me about the problem, they locked me up in solitary to make sure I couldn’t talk to anyone about it either pending my 18th when I too would be floated.”  
There was a few mumblings as everyone digested what they had just heard.  
“So what’s the plan?” asked Jasper.  
“We make the Arc think Bellamy has died, and we get a new compatriot who has a beard and long hair to help prevent recognition, perhaps a banished grounder called … “ Clarke trailed off waiting for a suggested name.  
“Augustus!” shouted Octavia. “He was the brother to Octavia after all.”  
Bellamy groaned at the irony. He had named Octavia for that very reason, but he didn’t want to be called Augustus. “Think again, please” he said.  
“Kamble Bayell!” shouted Zoe. “It’s an anagram of Bellamy Blake!”  
“I don’t want us to assume that everyone on the Arc is unable to figure it out from the clues so it has to be something that they wouldn’t put together. So, if we’re agreed, tomorrow morning Bellamy will tell us his new name and we’ll start using it immediately so that we’re used to it when the Arc comes down.”  
Bellamy thought long and hard about what he wanted to be called, and if he could tolerate longer hair and a beard. But, to keep himself and Octavia safe, he would put up with almost anything. At breakfast Bellamy stood to announce “Bellamy Blake is missing, presumed dead, believed to be killed by grounders while leading a hunting party. I am sure Sterling remembers seeing him caught in the grounder trap!”  
All eyes turned to Sterling. “Yeah, damned scary it was, the spear went straight through him, impaling him on a tree. We all ran for our lives” Sterling added.  
“I am Janus. I was banished by my clan because I wanted to change the way we decided on our leader: I thought a referendum was a better idea than mortal combat since I thought it more prudent to have a wise, sensible leader rather than one who was just good in a fight. I was branded a coward and ordered to never again think of myself as a member of the clan let alone say it. I came across some of your group doing a piss poor attempt at hunting and feeling sorry for you all, decided to stay for a while to offer the benefit of my experience. How’s that?”  
Clarke and Bell, no, Janus looked around to see if anyone was objecting: no one was.  
“So let’s all give a rousing cheer to our new compatriot, Janus!” Clarke shouted.  
There were some loud cheers and someone started the chant “Janus. Janus. Janus.”  
They let it go on for a short while before Bellam …, no, Janus raised his hand for quiet.  
“I would like to thank you all for this warm welcome you have given me. I am only sorry that I did not get meet the awesome Bellamy” raising a few sniggers, “I hope that I can help you all to a better, safer future. I also hope that my presence will not stop any of you from having close links with the other Arkers when they come down.”  
“Not bloody likely since most of us don’t have anyone still alive” muttered Deeks.  
So that is how Bellamy Blake died, and Janus kom Skaikru was born.


	2. Clarke Chooses to Make Bellamy Write the List of 100 Potential Survivors and to Keep Bryan Away When Roan’s Army Marches on Arkadia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title says it all.

Raven was nagging at Clarke telling her that she had to write the list of the 100 Arkadians who would be given the opportunity to survive Praimfayer and wait the subsequent five years in the safety of the strengthened Arc.  
“You’re the one who’s good at deciding who lives and who dies” Raven said with a snark that Clarke could not fail to miss. Although Raven insisted that she had forgiven Clarke for killing Finn, it was often made clear that she had not and Clarke was fed up with it.  
“And don’t I get a lot of stick for doing it, so actually, no” Clarke decided, “I am not going to write that list. Bellamy is the one who made the decision to blow up the hydro-generator, so let him take the consequence of that decision. Tell Bellamy to write the list, but tell him to make damn sure that my name is not on it” Clarke huffed at the last point. There was no way she wanted to live with what would come after Praimfayer if only 100 people survived it, and that is assuming that all 100 would survive; something about which she had seriously strong doubts.

Clarke stepped out from behind the rocks: “Roan, I think we need to talk” she called a little scathingly, deliberately not looking at the two prisoners bound and kneeling on the ground, and turned to lead the way to a cave for a private conversation; afterall, it wouldn’t do for the king’s people to hear how she was about to speak to him.  
“What the hell is going on Roan? We had a deal, an alliance and now you’re waging war on us! What happened to wanting to survive Praimfayer?”  
Roan allowed some of his own anger to show to the one he assumed had betrayed him. “Exactly, and what happens? Two Skaikru invade Azgeda lands for hunting and we discover that you are building a safe haven for your people but not for sharing with anyone else. You are the one who broke the alliance so we had come to take your haven for ourselves!”  
At that Clarke burst into bitter laughter.  
“I am sorry for the incursion into Azgeda but you know damn well that it would have been an accident since the borders are not exactly marked and they would not have gone far into your territory, so for that you start a war that can only end in everyone’s death? You send a team to attack and kill someone who had been working to keep you on your throne since the defeat of ALIE and further more, you appear to have kidnapped and hurt some members of my team. You have shown no loyalty or honour!”  
Roan was starting to feel a little like he was in a dream. Was it possible that Echo had got it all wrong? Wanheda was not acting like she had been caught doing something against their alliance, in fact it was rather to the contrary.  
“What about the haven that you were planning on keeping for yourselves?” he asked.  
“We are doing what I would have thought you would be doing: giving our people something to keep them occupied and hopeful while we search for a real solution. At most, the Arc will allow 100 people to survive inside for five years: that is if everything, and I mean everything goes perfectly. Depending on how not perfectly things go, it is likely that about half of them will be dead before the end of the five years and the other half will wish that they were, and soon would be. And even if things do go perfectly and all 100 survive the five years, what do you think they will be able to do after they open the doors to a desolate wasteland? There will be no food to eat, water to drink, but they will have survived praimfayer so all is well, right? I can assure you that there is no way that I will be one the 100.”  
Roan felt his anger deflate because she was absolutely correct: 100 people could not save the world and time would be better spent doing something to try to prepare for the future.  
“I’m sorry” Roan said as he looked into Wanheda’s angry and disappointed eyes. “Echo made it sound like …” and he trailed off knowing that the responsibility was his.  
“I might have known that that warmongering bitch would somehow be involved since she had been after you to kill me and all of Skaikru from the day we saved your life. Why, Roan, why didn’t you just ask us? How are we ever supposed to trust you now? You have just made mine and Kane’s job a lot harder and elevated Pike to the top of the honourable martyr list.”  
“It is not our way to ask questions first” Roan folded his arms trying to appear as if he were not in the wrong.  
“I thought you were trying to move away from the way your mother ruled. We need to find a way to minimise the damage this has caused” Clarke gave the rebuke and then tried to move on. “I want Echo” she decided.  
“What? The responsibility is mine and the punishment should be mine.”  
“You are needed to lead the people. You should declare that Echo is to be my slave for the foreseeable future for spreading lies about us, and for being a shitty spy.”  
Roan took his knife and sliced his palm; he then raised his brow as he handed the knife to Clarke.  
“You really need to find another, healthier way to seal deals” Clarke smirked as she, too, lightly sliced her own palm. “You know, I’m really going to enjoy having Echo serve as my bitch.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always wondered when Clarke was going to get pay back for the way Echo has wanted her dead for as long as she has known her so this was my way of giving it to her. I also don't like how Roan reacted without talking first.


	3. Bellamy Chooses to Let Clarke Fall Into the Grounder Pit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In canon Bellamy caught Clarke's wrist stopping her from falling into the grounder trap as shes was rushing towards Jasper who had been tied up as bait after being speared in the chest when he crossed the river on the way to Mount Weather in S1. This is my take on what could have happened if Bellamy had chosen to let Clarke fall into the trap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this story Finn finds the FEMA bunker as well as the 'Arts Supply Store' and the bunker is a bit more useful than canon.

Bellamy was holding on to Clarke’s wrist as she dangled precariously over the grounder pit that was covered in lethal wooden stakes. One slip and it really would be all over for Clarke Griffin. Her heart rate must be going through the roof and it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise to the Arc if it should suddenly cease. He wouldn’t have to make believe she had died, she really would be dead.  
It would also mean one less pain in the ass for him to deal with.  
It would be a shame really: the girl was well meaning enough, but Bellamy had to think of Octavia. It was in Octavia’s best interest if the people in the Arc stayed up there, so ….  
“I tried to hold on, but she was panicking and her wrist was slippery; and as she was struggling to climb up the wall I think that was making it harder” Bellamy justified why he couldn’t hold on to Clarke Griffin. At the rate he was going he would soon believe it was an accident himself!  
“What do we do with him?” Murphy asked pointing to Jasper, tied to the tree with a hole in his chest.  
“Leave him. There’s nothing we can do for him” Bellamy dictated and led the small group back to camp not noticing that Wells Jaha had stayed by the pit, determined not to leave his friend’s body there to rot.

The party back at the camp was going exactly as Bellamy Blake and his cronies wanted. They ordered others into making the fire and keeping it going and made sure that no one received any food if they still had their bracelet on. It didn’t take long for them to run out of food to bribe the others with.  
“First light, you, you and you will go out and bring back all the fruit, nuts and berries you can find” Bellamy declared pointing to three cowering youngsters. “If we’re satisfied that you brought enough back you can eat some. No one else does until we’ve eaten enough to give us the strength to go and get us some meat. Now, someone get me some water.”  
Bellamy waited a bit to see who would move to do his bidding.  
“There isn’t any water, Bell” Octavia pointed out.  
And Bellamy swore that the idiot Jaha would pay for not making sure there was water. And where was the idiot? And Finn?  
“Has anyone seen Jaha and Spacewalker?” he shouted.  
No one had seen either of them since that morning. Bellamy wondered if he should be worried but decided not to be. If they wanted to wander about forest after dark then they deserved whatever they had coming to them. Okay it was two fewer people to do the work, but it was also two fewer people to feed. And they were such pains so he thought their disappearance tipped the scales in his favour.  
The next day the hunting party was only able to catch a couple of squirrels, and that was more luck than judgement. The nuts and berries collected had all been eaten and Bellamy Blake was in charge of one very hungry ragtag bunch. And once again, no one had thought to go and find water to bring back to the camp.  
“Why do I have to do everything?” Bellamy shouted. “Didn’t it occur to any of you that we needed water and someone should go out and look for some?”  
Octavia, who was seeing a side to her brother that she did not like shouted “You told us we could do whatever the hell we wanted, as long as we did what you said, so we did. I thought you had probably told someone to get water, and I guess everyone else thought the same thing. If you wanted water, why didn’t you get it yourself?”  
Bellamy was not pleased at being spoken to so disrespectfully in front of the others so he pulled Octavia aside.  
“Don’t speak to me like that. You wanted to stay with them so they have to respect me. They won’t respect me if I let you get away with talking crap to me” he said.  
“They won’t respect you coz you’re being a jerk” Octavia responded as she tried to free her arm from her brother’s grasp. “You want to be in charge, fine, be in charge. Just make sure that you’re worthy of the title. If not, piss off and let someone who cares about making sure all the necessary tasks are done in a fair manner take charge. Clarke would have been a good person to lead us, if you hadn’t let her die just to get her arm band.”  
Bellamy was so shocked that Octavia had apparently seen right through him that he let go of her arm and she stormed off to find a spot to sit and think.

Meanwhile, in a bunker found by the enterprising Finn Collins, Clarke Griffin was tending to the seriously injured Jasper Jordan. Her own injuries were minor since she had practically slid down the wall of the pit, her open flailing jacket receiving the most damage as it was impaled on one of the spiked stakes.  
“I don’t know if we can save him, but we have to try. He was treated before being tied as bait to the tree so we have a good start” Clarke said as she tried to encourage Jasper to drink some water and take pain killers that were about 100 years old.  
When it was light, Finn and Wells left to top up their water bottles, collect some of the sea weed that Clarke thought was medicinal, set some snares and to find some fruit to eat. Although they did not say anything to Clarke, they also wanted to get away from the constant moaning that poor Jasper couldn’t contain in his pain.  
Finn found another bunker that the two of them could hide in for a while.

Monty was scared. He was down on a hostile earth and his best bud, his brother by another mother was gone. He didn’t know how to live on his own. He and three girls had been ordered to find some water and a way of storing some back at the camp. None of them knew what they could do other than to fill and carry the two large metal bowls they had found. They wouldn’t hold much water though so they would either have to find another storage container or make lots of journeys to the river.  
“Bellamy scares me” one of the girls said.  
“Yeah, me too” agreed another. “I mean do you really think that he let Clarke die because she wouldn’t take off her arm band?”  
“It wouldn’t surprise me” said the third. “Did you see the way he looked at her and Wells when they were trying to get things organised sensibly? I would have peed myself if he had looked at me like that.”  
“Yeah, but I think I would have killed myself if he had looked at me the way he looked at Roma.”  
“Did you see what Deek did to Fern? He didn’t bother with consent and now she’s a wreck. I don’t want to stay there, but what else can we do?”  
The three girls looked at Monty in expectation.  
“I have no idea what we’re supposed to do. The earth is survivable but the people on it might not be. We should just get the water and hope we can carry enough to keep them satisfied.”  
The four continued to make their way to the river. Each of them terrified for what the future will hold for them.  
“Hang on, isn’t that Finn and Wells Jaha?” one of the girls asked.  
“Yes it is. Where do you think they are going? They haven’t been back at camp since yesterday morning” said another.  
“Should we follow them and see where they go?” asked the third and once again the three looked to Monty.  
“It won’t do any harm” he said as he turned towards the pair of boys.  
None of the four were particularly stealthy so they were soon spotted.  
“Hey! Why are you following us?” asked Finn as he and Wells turned to face their pursuers.  
“Hey, Finn. Oh, umm, we’re, yeah, umm.”  
“Very clear, Monty” Wells was sarcastic. “Perhaps someone else can try to be a little more lucid.”  
The three girls looked to each other before one stood straighter and said “We’re terrified of being in the camp. You appear to have somewhere else to stay and we want to come with you. The further away from the camp the better.”  
Finn and Wells looked at each other and wondered what they should do. They finally agreed and took them back to the bunker with Jasper and Clarke.  
Monty and the three girls, Fox, Harper and Zoe were so pleased that Clarke and Jasper were still alive. Clarke pointed out that the bunker had twelve beds so they could house a few more if anyone knew who would be good to bring in.  
“Fern needs to come. Deek raped her last night and she’s not doing good” said Fox. “Everyone else is just too scared of them”  
“Except Octavia” noted Harper.  
“Yes, well, we can’t exactly invite her to join us; that would be suicide” pointed out Clarke. “Although she might be able to persuade her brother to be a little more sensible if she can point out the adverse consequences of his orders. Why don’t you four go back to camp with the water like you were supposed to, and try to get up to four more to leave with you, ostensibly to help with the water and Finn can bring you back here from where you saw him before?”

Monty, Fox, Harper and Zoe made their way back to the stream and then onto the camp. They put the little water they were able to carry into a larger container. Zoe and Harper went to talk to Fern. It took a good few minutes of searching before they found her body, propped up against a tree with her wrists sliced open. She had killed herself.  
Zoe took a second to gather her thoughts then she took Fern’s knife and placed a sharp stone close to her hand where the knife had dropped with the sharp edge lying in Fern’s blood.  
Making their way back to the camp, Harper and Zoe told Fox and Monty what they had found. All four of them turned to stare at Bellamy and his little coterie of sluts and power hungry assholes.  
“Why aren’t you four getting more water?” Bellamy shouted at them. “That piddly amount you brought back won’t last. Go and get more!”  
“We just found Fern’s body” yelled Zoe. “She killed herself you heartless bastard.”  
For a brief second Zoe wondered if Bellamy actually gave a damn. It didn’t last.  
“Not my fault she couldn’t hack it down here” he bellowed.  
“It’s your fault when you let your little hangers on drag an unwilling girl into the forest to rape her. Your mother was a wonderful woman. She would be utterly ashamed to see how you’ve turned out” Zoe looked at Bellamy and Deek with disgust before turning to leave, hopefully for good.  
Fox, Harper, Monty and two other girls, Saffron and Jade, followed her.  
“I really do not want to stay there” said Saffron as they left the camp.  
Harper filled Saffron and Jade in on their plans. Both were glad that they could get away.  
“I think Clarke will lead us better than Bellamy is” Jade said. “I feel awful for leaving some of the others behind though.”  
“Yeah, we get that. Unfortunately accommodation is pretty limited, but if we all sit and talk we might be able to come up with an alternative plan” Harper offered.  
Harper was right. With everyone sitting to talk it was agreed that they could top and tail each bed, other than Clarke as medic and the patient bed so that they could house 22. The new comers all agreed to get some water and return to the camp to see if they could get more to come with them. In order to make sure that what happened to Fern didn’t happen to them they were all going to stick together.  
The six returned to the camp with more water. Bellamy was nowhere to be found. Deek was there.  
As soon as Deek saw the group he pounced on them. “Which of you bitches told Bellamy that I raped that little slut?” he pounced.  
“You did rape her and she wasn’t a slut” yelled Harper. “We all saw you drag her off and she told us what happened, you bastard.”  
“Well, you’re just going to have to take her place, aren’t you?” he sneered.  
“I don’t think so. It won’t be over my dead body, it’ll be yours” Harper was venomous.  
“Yeah, come on. Let’s get more water. Anyone else want to come for a break from this place? If so bring anything that will hold some water” said Monty.  
A few of the delinquents sneered at Monty and the group, but four more grabbed a container or two and followed them.  
Once they were well away from the camp Monty asked if anyone really wanted to go back.  
“Not really, but what’s the alternative?” asked Nate Miller.  
The others all agreed.  
“If there was an alternative, would you want to go back?” Monty persisted.  
They all declared that they would rather live anywhere else than back at the camp.  
“Good, so we go and live with Clarke” Zoe laughed.  
“But Clarke’s dead!” exclaimed Sterling.  
“Nah, despite Bellamy’s best efforts she was only injured, and she rescued Jasper and is trying to heal him” explained Harper.  
“But Jasper is seriously bad and we don’t know if he’ll pull through” added Monty.  
The group was soon found by Finn and they all trooped to the bunker.  
As pleased as everyone was to get away from the main camp they soon realised they needed to do something to stop them from getting too claustrophobic or bored. And they wanted to get away from Jasper’s pain.  
Clarke directed Nate and Sterling to move the beds around so that everyone would be comfortable. She then told Finn he would need to teach the others how to be stealthy so that he, and his best pupils, could raid the camp for their own goods at night time. Monty and Wells were told to collect some of the antibiotic seaweed and collect any more medicinal plants they could find, but not to go in the direction of the main camp. Once the beds were arranged to Clarke’s satisfaction, Nate and Sterling were asked to collect fruit and edible nuts to accompany anything that would be found in the snares that Finn and Wells had set earlier.  
Finn returned to say that Saffron and Jade were by far the most stealthy of the group. “I had no idea where they were most of the time” he said.  
“It’s due to all the creeping around we always had to do on the Arc” said Saffron as Jade nodded in agreement.  
Everyone mentioned where they had left their personal belongings and pale clothes were swopped for dark. Finn took Saffron and Jade to the smaller bunker to rest up since they would be going out that night. They also practiced walking in the woods without making a sound. Clarke said that they would save some meat – if there was some from the snares - for the three to eat on their return. Otherwise they would make do with what fruit and nuts they found on their way.  
On his return from collecting medical plants with Monty, Wells took Aisha and Felicity with him to check the snares. They had caught two rabbits. Cute and fluffy as they were no one wanted to actually kill them. It took them being joined by Sterling for the rabbits to find their end.  
“Perhaps you three should stick to collecting fruit and nuts” Sterling said. “Would you be able to fish?”  
Both Aisha and Felicity decided that they wouldn’t but Wells was sure that it would be different with fish and resolved to try first thing in the morning.  
Nate was exploring his new home. There was one barrel that particularly intrigued him. Although it appeared to be filled with oil, and he started to think of things that could be done with that oil (roasting Bellamy Blake was his favourite thought), he was surprised to discover that it actually held a small arsenal of guns. He searched all the shelves and cupboards until he found some bullets. Nate Miller knew his guns and he knew that they now had the upper hand over Bellamy Blake. The question was, what to do next?  
Once everyone was back in the bunker, Nate shared his finds with them.  
“No! We will not use guns” declared Finn, the pacifist.  
“It means we can protect ourselves while out if we come across Blake or his pack” said Stirling.  
“We need to know what we’re doing with them. Perhaps when a group goes out to hunt or gather supplies, one or two accompany them as armed guards” suggested Harper.  
“Hopefully we’ll never have to fire them at a live target, but I think we can’t ignore this advantage it gives us over Blakesville” said Stirling.  
There was some snorts of laughter at the new name for the camp.  
“But what does it mean for the rest of Blakesville?” asked Wells as he hesitated over saying ‘Blakesville’. “I mean, are we going to swoop in and take over and banish Blake and his pack to this place, once we’ve made sure that there are no more weapons?”  
“There’s beds here” noted Fox. “It’s a darned sight more comfortable here then it is sleeping on the floor there. Besides, when it rains, where can everyone go there?”  
“With fewer people the drop ship should hold us all for a while, but it is no long term solution” Clarke noted. “But do we just abandon everyone else and keep this for our selves?”  
“Can we stay here until the Arc comes down?” asked Zoe.  
Clarke, Finn and Wells looked at each other as they pondered Zoe’s question.  
“Yes, it is feasible that we could live here for a few months. But that does not answer the question about abandoning everyone else” Wells declared.  
“Sometimes you have to be selfish and save yourself and who you can and not risk everything by trying to save more” said Saffron.  
“Yeah” agreed Jade. “We save us now, and try to save others as we can without risking too much. We would never know who we could trust not to stab us in the back if we tried to take over the camp.”  
Clarke looked around: there were nods of agreement from everyone else.  
“Okay, we stay here and if the opportunity arises and we can get more like minded people from the camp we do so. Finn, Saffron and Jade; given that you are the ones who can be stealthy, it is your job to lurk unseen to listen to conversations to try to identify others. The rest of us will share the jobs of providers” Clarke’s orders were accepted with nods from everyone else.

Bellamy noticed that a few more people seemed to have disappeared from the camp and he wasn’t sure if he should be worried or not. He didn’t like the fact that Deek thought it would be acceptable to rape one of the girls but he didn’t know what he should do about it. If he had known about it before the poor girl had killed herself then he could have addressed the issue but now it was too late: all he could do was to make it clear to all the boys that if anyone else raped, or attempted to rape another girl then they would face serious consequences – having their dick sliced off. In the meantime, all he could do is make sure that Deek personally dug the grave for Fern.  
He wasn’t sure when things had started going to pot but it was clear that things were not going well. It wasn’t surprising really since he didn’t have a clue what he was doing. Part of him wished that he had taken Jaha and the Princess as his partners because he thought they at least seemed to know what they were doing – all those years spent being groomed to be leaders must have had some effect; but he was more concerned about making sure the Arc didn’t come down than making sure the rest of the 100 survived. He was now worried that if he couldn’t get his act together he would not be able to protect Octavia. The earth was a very scary place and the Arc had done nothing to prepare them. He didn’t think any of them were prepared for the violence of the survivors, the need to hunt and forage for food. He would try to persuade Octavia to leave with him that night but he didn’t think that he would have any success. He would have to decide soon what they would do because they couldn’t keep on living the way they were doing. It was like Lord of the Flies and it was all his fault.

Clarke was taking a break from looking after Jasper and was foraging for edible and medicinal plants with Monty and Harper when they heard a loud horn blow. They were a bit worried about what it portended but didn’t know what they could do about it. They carried on looking for plants, but were a little more wary when a grounder jumped from a tree beside them and shouted “That’s the fog horn! Acid fog is coming and you need to take cover! Follow me quickly!”  
The grounder turned in the opposite direction to their bunker and they were in two minds as to what they should do. It was the scent of something acidic that made up Clarke’s mind.  
“Come on, follow him. Run!”  
The three ran after the grounder as fast as they could. All it took was a quick look behind them to see a yellow fog speeding towards them to induce a spurt of speed.  
They ended up in a cave system, a homely cave. Clarke looked around with interest, hoping she wasn’t being rude.  
“Thank you. We had no idea about the horn or the fog and you could have left us, so thank you. I am Clarke, and this is Monty and Harper.”  
“You’re welcome. I am Lincoln. I watch you. You are not like the others you have left.”  
At Lincoln’s words Clarke, Monty and Harper snorted their agreement.  
“No, we are not like them. We want to work for each other, help each other, be a team. We don’t want to spread destruction amongst us” Clarke was bitter.  
“Some of the others are not happy either but can’t think of anything else to do. Your watchers are seeing what I see and I’m sure you will have more join you soon” Lincoln sounded hopeful.  
“Unfortunately we don’t have a lot of space and we will need it soon if many more are to join us. When the rest of our people come down we could stay with them but we don’t know when that will be” Clarke was sounding gloomy.  
“How many more of you are there and are they like you or the others?” Lincoln sounded a little alarmed.  
“There was just over 2000 of us in total but we don’t know how many will make the journey down. I guess we are like all societies and have our share of assholes but most of us are well meaning even if we are misguided” Clarke wanted to be honest but not paint too bad a picture about themselves, or the people who sent them here.  
Lincoln was thinking about what Clarke had told him and he knew he would have to report to Heda about the likelihood of more of the sky people falling on their lands. In the meantime he thought he should try to get them to trust him so that they would be more forthcoming with information.  
“When that horn sound blows again it means we should be safe from the fog” Lincoln offered.  
“Why are the trees and plants not destroyed by it?” Monty asked.  
“This fog was made by the mountain men to only damage humans. Even animals are not affected by it.”  
“Oh, wow, that’s ingenious” Monty was awed. “Completely diabolical, but still …”  
Clarke was thinking more strategically. “Why would the mountain men, and who are these men, want to kill the rest of us?”  
“The mountain men live in Mount Weather. They cannot come out of the mountain unless they are wearing special clothing that covers every part of them. They take our people and we do not know why because no one has escaped from the mountain with their life: except those who are turned into reapers.” Lincoln paused; he then saw the question in all their faces. “Reapers are former people who have been turned into vicious flesh eating beasts. They will eat dead bodies, but they prefer live. They have super strength so are very hard to defeat, even by experienced warriors so your people would stand no chance against them.”  
Clarke was immediately pleased that they had found the guns, but was still concerned for the rest of the camp.  
“They will often come out after the fog has gone to pick up any injured. The mountain men don’t want to risk any of us getting too close to them in case we are able to overpower them. Although we have the numbers, they have the weapons and we do not know how we can overcome them.”  
“We were supposed to land on Mount Weather” offered Clarke hesitantly.  
“Then you would all have been killed or taken for whatever purpose.”  
“Not turned into reapers?” asked Harper.  
“No. It is mainly strong warriors who are turned into reapers.”  
No one took offense at the suggestion that they were not strong enough because they could see the truth in that for themselves.  
“I wonder if we should share this information with the rest of the camp?” Clarke asked, talking to herself and not really expecting a response. “They may not believe us, or they may try to kill us and then what would be the point?”  
“I think we should try to warn them” said Monty. “We should perhaps ask Finn, if he and the others are safe, to wait until Blake is alone and tell him then.”  
“Yeah” agreed Harper. “If we make sure he is warned then it’s up to him what he does with the information.”  
“Very well” agreed Clarke. “Once we have checked on everyone, including Jasper, then we plan to warn the camp about the fog and the reapers.”  
Lincoln tried to piece together the people that are being talked about when he realised something extraordinary. “Is Jasper the boy who was tied to the stake?” Lincoln asked.  
On receipt of nods, he went on “It is surprising that he is still alive. I was sure that he would die from his injuries. Is one of you a healer?”  
“I am a partially trained medic” Clarke answered. “I had hoped to be fully trained but was sent down here instead. Do you know why he was attacked?”  
Lincoln knew the answer, but was sure that these people would not like it. “It was to stop you from getting closer to the mountain. If anyone gets past the point of the river then the acid fog is sent. You all would have died. You could not be warned because it was not known what weapons you had and if you would turn them on our people.”  
But Clarke surprised Lincoln. “I see your point. I wish we had known that there were people living on the ground but we believed that the only humans to survive were in space. We need to talk to whoever is in charge so we can agree a treaty or there will be pandemonium when the rest come down since we have no way of warning them of your presence and for the need to avoid mount Weather. They could also inadvertently land on top of one of your villages! We need to get back to the drop ship and hope Monty can find a way to fix the radio. Our people have guns, and shock batons and we do not want to start a war, at least not with you, one may be unavoidable with the mountain men.”  
Lincoln could only agree Clarke’s words: but what action to take was not for him to decide.  
“I must go and report to Heda” Lincoln said, and on seeing the confusion on his guests faces, explained “Heda is our commander. We speak two languages; the language you speak is our warriors’ language so not everyone speaks that. Heda means Commander in our language. She may want to speak with you. There is no such thing as a request from the Heda. To refuse the Commander is a death sentence.”  
Monty, Harper and Clarke looked at each other and gulped. Life was hard on the Arc if one disagreed with the Chancellor but that, in theory, did not carry a death sentence per se. It was as well that they were warned of the seriousness of the threat.  
They talked more about the ways of the people of the ground verses the ways of the people from the sky. In some ways they were very similar; in others they were so different. Clarke only hoped that they could find a way to blend to become one people.  
As the horn sounded the all clear, Clarke told Lincoln that she would be honoured to meet and talk with the Heda, should she wish to do so, of course.  
As they left Lincoln’s cave, he pointed Clarke, Monty and Harper in the direction of their bunker. They were sure that they would be able to find their way back.  
They didn’t reach their bunker though. Instead they found Bellamy Blake sitting by a badly burned Atom who was begging Bellamy to kill him and end his pain. Without thinking Clarke walked right up to them and knocked Bellamy out of the way. In his shock at seeing his former enemy still alive, Bellamy allowed Clarke to have her way.  
It took just a few seconds for Clarke to see that there was nothing anyone could do for poor Atom. She started to hum a childhood favourite as she surreptitiously took out her knife.  
“You are going to be fine, Atom” she said as she leaned over him. “You’re not going to be hurting for much longer. Just hold on” and she restarted her humming as she took her knife and sliced through Atom’s carotid artery, humming all the while as Atom died.  
“Why aren’t you dead?” Bellamy asked.  
“Because I’m not ready to die” Clarke snarked back. “You need to know that when the horn sounds it’s because the fog is coming. It sounds again when it’s all clear. The fog is from Mount Weather to stop people getting too close. There are people who live in there who can’t stand the radiation so only come out in suits. They take people, presumably to harvest for something. They also take the strongest they capture and turn them into flesh eating monsters: the grounders call them reapers. We’ve made contact with some of the people from the ground and they saved us three when the fog came and while we were waiting for the all clear they told us about the mountain men. I thought we should warn you so you can warn the rest of your people.”  
“You really expect me to believe that these so called mountain men turn people into monsters? Yeah, right, that’s believable. I suppose the rest of my people are with you?”  
“As well as Harper and Monty, we have Jasper, Wells, Finn, Saffron, Jade, Zoe, Fox, Nate and Sterling. We didn’t like the way you were trying to run things, leading by fear so we decided to live apart. Other than Jasper’s pain, which is getting better, we’re a lot more comfortable, and definitely safer. It’s up to you if you believe me or not, but you know it’s true about the acid fog, so heed the warnings of the horn. Maybe we’ll see you around, Bellamy. I’m sorry about Atom. Take care.”  
Clarke, Monty and Harper quickly made their way to their bunker to check that none of their people had been caught out in the fog and were suffering like Atom was.  
“We heard the horn and thought it was probably something bad so we tried to get back here” Saffron explained. “We could see this yellow stuff coming towards us so we hid in a half buried car that Finn had found. It let in some of the mist so I had to block it with my hand and my finger is burned.” Saffron held out her left hand and Clarke could see that her little finger was severely burned.  
“It was the bravest thing I ever saw” said Jade as she looked at her best friend and partner in awe.  
Clarke tried to be careful as she assessed what could be done for Saffron. “I’m sorry, Saffron, but I think you’re going to lose the finger. I’ll give it two days to see if the burns start to heal, if not, I’ll have to remove it before infection sets in and you lose the hand, or worse.”  
Saffron gulped as she thought about Clarke’s words. “It’s not like I won’t be able to do most things without a little finger, so I should be fine: right?” she asked for reassurance.  
“Once everything has all healed up I don’t think you’ll notice any difference to what you can do, although one or two things might need some minor adjustments when you hold things, but that’s all” Clarke promised. “But let’s give it a couple of days before we worry about that anyway, because it might show signs of recovery. Anyway, whilst we were waiting for the fog to clear we had an interesting conversation with a grounder” and Clarke told the others all that Lincoln had talked about.  
“Did you believe him?” Wells asked.  
“I did” said Monty.  
“Yeah, me too” said Harper.  
Clarke merely nodded.  
“Do you think we’ll be able to make a treaty with this Heda?” Finn asked.  
“I don’t know, possibly. But I have a feeling that they definitely won’t make one with Bellamy Blake’s lot.”  
Over the next two days Saffron’s finger showed no signs of improvement, “I’m afraid it will have to come off” said Clarke sadly, not letting any of the apprehension she felt at carrying out such a serious surgery and under such circumstances.  
Clarke need not have worried. Even old pain killers, together with the natural remedies they found, were able to make Saffron feel very little pain while Clarke removed the damaged digit and sewed the skin up.  
It was while Clarke and Finn were sat outside their bunker, catching a breather, that they heard the distinctive sound of a vehicle entering the earth’s atmosphere. Finn looked out for what was coming while Clarke went to get a weapon and to warn the others.  
Looking through the scope on her rifle, Clarke saw a small escape pod hurtling towards them. “It’s going to land not too far from us” she said.  
Finn lead the way to where the pod landed, rushing in case whoever was in there needed assistance. He arrived at the pod to see Bellamy Blake opening the hatch. Thinking that Bellamy would make sure that the occupant would join his cohort Finn went to intervene only to see Bellamy leave the pod with a radio.  
“What the hell, Blake?” Finn shouted. “Don’t you think that the person inside is more important than that radio?”  
“I don’t care about her. I care about this radio and making sure no one makes contact with the Arc so I’ll take this and you can take her” he indicated the woman groggily trying to make her way out of the pod.  
“Raven!” Finn called. “Raven, is that really you?”  
“Finn! You’re alive. I knew you had to be. Abby and I knew that you were all removing your bracelets for some reason. I just have to radio to let them know it is safe down here and they don’t need to float three hundred people today. Just give me a second” Raven hadn’t noticed that her radio was no longer in the pod.  
“Blake, give us back the radio. You heard her. If the Arc don’t know that it’s safe down here they’re going to float three hundred people” Finn implored.  
“Sorry, I really am sorry about them, but I can’t have the Arc coming down here” Bellamy said and he turned to walk away holding the radio.  
“Put the radio down, Bellamy” Clarke said with her rifle pointed firmly in Bellamy’s direction.  
“Where the hell did you get that?” he asked.  
“It doesn’t matter. I assure you it is loaded and I will use it, if necessary. I don’t want to, since I believe in saving lives not ending them when possible, but if I need to end yours to save those people on the Arc then I will do so” Clarke hoped Bellamy did not test her resolve.  
“Sorry Princess but I don’t think you have it in you to kill in cold blood and I bet you would miss even if you did shoot” and he started to run. He didn’t feel the pain since it was right through his spine.  
Finn took the radio out of the hands still holding it; all the while avoiding Bellamy’s disbelieving eyes.  
Clarke went to inspect the damage from the bullet.  
“You have a choice, Bellamy” Clarke said coldly. “I can patch you up, but you will be paralysed at least from the waist down, permanently; or I can let you bleed out. I will do whatever you want me to do with this. It is your choice.”  
Bellamy looked into Clarke’s eyes; searching for something; perhaps forgiveness. He didn’t find it. “Let me die.”  
And she did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any ideas for different choices that I could write about, please leave a comment and let me know. I have a few ideas in the mix but am always up for a challenge.


	4. Bellamy Chooses to Stay With Clarke at Praimfayer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When it's time for the rocket to take off for the GoSci and Clarke is not back from the satellite tower, Bellamy just can't find the will to leave without Clarke. He knows the risks, but it's Clarke, so he chooses to stay.

“Come on, Bellamy, we have no more time” Raven begged. “We have to leave now or none of us will make it!”  
“You go, look after them all for me. I have to stay and make sure Clarke makes it. You know we’ll find a way. We’ll see you when you get back. Here, take my spare oxygen tank and go!” And Bellamy gave one final look to Raven before he donned his helmet and went out of the lab to look for Clarke wanting to be with her when the wave struck.  
He was halfway to the tower when he saw the rocket take off.  
“Good luck, guys. May we meet again” he said as he jogged to the tower wondering what could have held up Clarke.  
It didn’t take much longer for Bellamy to make out Clarke on the top of the tower moving the satellite dish and he knew what the problem was. He was at the bottom of the tower when Clarke began her descent. Bellamy could see that he would hinder more than he would help if he tried to climb to assist so he waited at the bottom and grabbed Clarke’s hand as they started to run back to the lab.  
Clarke almost tripped at one point, but Bellamy kept her upright as they kept ahead of the wave. They fell into the lab with the door sealing behind them just as the wave roared overhead.  
They lay on the floor panting wondering how long they had before they ran out of air. Luckily for Bellamy, Clarke was ahead of the game.  
“Computer” Clarke said, “is there any part of this lab facility that we can get to that is radiation proof?”  
“The Chemical Storage Laboratory five floors down is fully radiation proof” the computer answered Clarke.  
“What? We can’t stay there for five years” Bellamy said.  
“Shush, let me think and work out how to save your sorry ass. You were supposed to be on that ship heading for the GoSci ring and safety. Computer, what facilities are in the Chemical Storage Lab?”  
“There is a sink with running cold water. There are no other facilities.”  
“Will the water be safe to drink?”  
“Yes, for at least three months, possibly a year or more.”  
“Okay then, it looks like we’re in business. Bell, go and round up as much food as you can, some alcohol, clothing and bedding and take it to the lab. Computer, is there computer access in the Chemical Storage Lab? Bellamy, go on, please do what I asked, we will need food, alcohol and something to sleep on.”  
“Yes.”  
Clarke went round the lab, ignoring the roaring that was going from outside and gathered what she could find that she thought they would need.  
“Computer, assuming adequate food and water supply, how long could two adults survive in the Chemical Storage Lab before breathing became difficult?”  
“In theory, provided there was adequate food and water then they could stay in the Chemical Storage Laboratory indefinitely.” That was exactly what Clarke wanted to hear.  
When Clarke and Bellamy were sure that they had scavenged as much as they could take that would be useful they closed the door to the Chemical Storage Lab behind them. Bellamy went to remove his helmet but Clarke stayed his hand and shook her head at him.  
“Wait a little bit” she said. “Computer, how long before the radiation on our hazmat suits will be safe to breathe while in the same room as us?”  
“The radiation level is safe for nightblood, but will take at least three hours for none nightblood to breathe.”  
Clarke checked both of their suit tanks and between them they only had oxygen for one person for half an hour.  
“Bellamy, wait here, I’m going to top up my tank so we’ll be fine.” Bellamy just nodded.  
Clarke left the room and went back to the main lab to fill her tank that separated from her suit that she ditched so there was less radiation in the room they would be stuck in until Bellamy had also been made a nightblood.  
In the Chem Storage Clarke swopped Bellamy’s oxygen tank so that he would be able to breathe until it would be safe to remove his suit.  
“Okay, Clarke, what’s the long term plan here?” Bellamy asked. “I know that you have one because you are so much smarter than me” he smiled.  
“Yes, I have because you are correct and I am. I’m going to make you a nightblood, too” Clarke said as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “We’ll have to wait until you can drill into my hip, at my direction, which will probably be tomorrow and three days later we can leave the lab. We will have to promise to forget all the embarrassing personal details since everything will have to be somehow disposed of through the sink which I am not looking forward to, but it is better than dying.”  
Bellamy just snorted his agreement.  
“Why weren’t you on the ship, Bell?” Clarke asked. “I wanted you to be safe on the ship. I know it’s a bit of a gamble, but we don’t know if we’ll be able to find enough food or water to survive here.”  
“I couldn’t leave you here, alone. I know it’s going to be hard, possibly impossible to survive, but I think it will be easier for the two of us than if you were alone. Besides, they’ll do better with one less mouth to feed. You and me against the world, Clarke; that’s how it’s supposed to be.”  
Clarke just huffed in pretend annoyance, but she knew he was correct: Bellamy’s presence gave her something to fight for rather than to just give up so she took hold of his hand and squeezed it in gratitude.

It was awkward having to use the one sink for all their toileting needs: the smell was awful at times and there was no escaping it. Clarke, with her medical training didn’t think too much about the intimacy of the situation, but Bellamy soon began to realise that it was actually very freeing to know that the person you are with sees and knows everything about you, as you do them. Soon the jokes were made about turning around and holding their breath, or plugging their noses were made and smiles replaced the embarrassed frowns.  
Then Clarke talked Bellamy through drilling into her hip and extracting some bone marrow. It took all Clarke had not to show how much the drilling physically hurt her, even with the use of pain killers.  
It took all Bellamy had not to show how much it was hurting him to know that Clarke was hurting to save him.  
They decided to wait five days after injecting Bellamy with the nightblood bone marrow before the two of them took the step of leaving the small Chemical Storage Lab to live in the facilities of the wider laboratory.  
“Wow, it will be like living in luxury living out here” Bellamy said as he looked around the greater space.  
“Yeah” agreed Clarke. “It’s much better than the crappy tents we first slept in when we arrived. We’ll have to make an assessment of how much food we have and try to work out how long it will take us to get to Polis and hope they will let us into the bunker.”  
They tried to radio the ring and the bunker to let people know that the two of them were alive and what their plans were: they never received a response. Bellamy kept on talking in the hope that someone could hear even if they could not reply.  
Two weeks after Bellamy had received the bone marrow from Clarke they left the island, relieved that the surface water had all gone and that they would be able to walk to Polis without having to swim across the straight.  
“Bellamy, look!” Clarke shouted as she started to use her hands to dig into the sand.  
It took a few seconds for Bellamy to catch on to what Clarke was digging for and he gave a loud whoop as he began to help.  
Five hours later they had dug out the Rover and set it to charge while making a slipway so that they could drive over the sand, ash and dust covered ground to Polis.  
They sat in stunned disbelief as they perused the ruins of Polis. The mound of rubble that was the fallen tower clearly covered the entrance to the bunker. For three days they tried to move the rubble to clear the way to the bunker before movement caused a slab to fall and break Bellamy’s leg. Luckily it was a clean break and with plenty of rebar Clarke was able to fashion an effective splint. “We need to stop until we can think of a way to move it safely” Clarke said as she wrapped Bellamy’s leg.  
“Yeah, perhaps we need to wait for Raven to return so she can work out a way to blow it all away” Bellamy said sadly as he considered their lack of progress.  
“We’ve still got the Rover; we can search for tools and things that might help in the meantime” Clarke remained positive. “We do have five years to get through so there is no hurry. We can drive around and explore what it left of this land in the meantime” she finished hopefully.  
“Yeah” Bellamy agreed, “we can do it, together” he held out his hand.  
Clarke smiled as she grasped his hand in both of hers “together”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, not much of a Bellarke, but I do like to leave some stuff to your imaginations, and besides, that's how I see them being if they ever were to get together!


	5. Roan Chooses to Befriend Clarke Rather Than Taking Her to Heda Lexa.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roan realises that it might not be in his best interests to hand Wanheda over to the Heda. He decides to see what happens as he get to know the entertaining girl from the sky.

Roan, former Prince of Azgeda was leading the feisty, and surprisingly pretty Wanheda through the forest watching out for others who may be on their trail, all wanting to earn the bounty that was payable to the one who captured the one who destroyed the mountain men, something that scores of the best warriors, over decades, had failed to do.  
It rankled with everyone that this frail looking princess from the sky could do what no one else had ever done before her: first she escapes when she was captured; and then she had the audacity to return to the mountain to bring the rest of her people home by killing all those who had lived in the mountain. Sure the girl was feisty, but Roan could not see what she had that gave her the courage and ability to do what she had done. He completely understood why those in power wanted Wanheda to be in their power.  
“Why have you captured me?” she asked for about the twentieth time.  
“Because someone wanted me to” Roan decided to entertain himself and reply.  
“Which someone wanted you to and do you always do what others want?” she persisted.  
“Actually a number of someones wanted me to but I’m taking you to the one who has offered me the greater reward” Roan decided it could be fun to actually converse with a living legend, he could engage in a battle of wits, if she had any, that is.  
“The greater reward, hmm. That does not necessarily mean the most value, so I guess it is for the one who can offer what you particularly want” Roan was shocked at how perceptive she was. “Are you sure that they can actually deliver what you want, and what is in it for them to ensure that they do deliver?”  
Roan snorted in disbelief at her audacity.  
“I only ask because I have experience of being promised things by people who change their minds” she added sounding very bitter.  
“Yes, but that was sky people and …”  
Wanheda started to laugh. She was really pissing Roan off.  
“We keep our word once given” he growled.  
“Are you sure because I remember striking an alliance with your Commander only for her to renege on the deal when a better offer came along; better offer for her that is?”  
“You lie!” Roan yanked on the rope that was tied to Wanheda, causing her to fall face down into the dirt; right where she belongs. “Once our Commander gives her word, it is as good as done.”  
Wanheda rolled over, spitting some dirt from her mouth and gave Roan a look of complete horror. “You mean that double crossing lying bitch not only abandons me and my people at the mountain but she ordered my kidnapping too?”  
Roan looked at his prisoner: she did not seem to be frightened of the fact that she had badly slandered the Commander, an event punishable by death, but rather horrified that she would have to actually see her.  
“Yes, and when she is told of the lies you are saying about her she will punish you” Roan was sounding so self righteous, but not quite as confident as he would have liked.  
“Let me tell you some things about your Commander, and if you don’t believe me I’m sure we could find one of the Generals who were there” Wanheda sounded so true. “She and I made a pact to storm the mountain once we were able to kill the acid fog. My partner, co-leader, best friend, infiltrated the mountain using the information I was able to give him from my time in there before my escape. He took out the acid fog but was captured, but that is not a point of this tale. A large army, the likes of which had not been amassed before in living memory, was ready to attack when apparently the leaders of the mountain decided that they didn’t like their chances and brokered a deal with Lexa to return all the grounders if the army left. They did. That meant me and a few others alone had to go in and do all the work. We did, and I had to wipe out the whole race. And now the bitch has me kidnapped, what for, do you know? Is it to keep me quiet about the missile that landed on TonDC, or because she doesn’t like the fact that I am around, a living reminder of her failure? Let’s face it, I did what she was not able to, and I didn’t have hundreds of warriors at my command, warriors who were itching for a fight but instead were ordered to retreat.”  
“I do not know why Heda asked me to bring you to her” Roan said. “She did say that you were to be unharmed, though. What is that about a missile?”  
“Bellamy was able to warn us of the missile being fired at Ton DC and when I went to warn the Commander she said that we had to let it fall because to evacuate would alert the mountain men to the fact that we had an inside man and he hadn’t killed the fog at that point. Our whole strategy relied on the fog being disabled. If it was so important to sacrifice the people of Ton DC to defeat the Mountain men, why did she retreat without them being defeated? Okay she got her captives back, but surely the Commander had to realise that the Mountain men would not leave her people alone forever? If we had not killed them, the Mountain men would have all been able to leave the Mountain and live on the ground, and yet possess the weapons to kill everyone else, so why would she risk that?”  
Roan was starting believe the sky girl: and if she was telling the truth then it was likely that the Commander would not honour their deal in its entirety because she would not want the risk of it being known that it was he who captured Wanheda.  
“I think you should know that one of the Mountain men escaped and has made a deal with Azgeda. He has told how to set off the self destruct bombs. Someone is on their way there now.”  
“Dammit! We have people in there trying to find things that can be used – medical equipment, stuff like that. And it’s possible that Skaikru could live there since we don’t have any territory and mount Weather is now unclaimed. We have to go back and make sure that they don’t succeed. Come on!” and Clarke started pulling Roan back towards Mount Weather, forgetting that she was the one who was tied up and captured.  
“What is in it for me?” Roan asked.  
“I’m guessing that our gratitude will not be enough” Clarke said warily and looked at her captor with a raised brow in question.  
Roan snorted.  
“Then what can we offer that would be an appropriate gift of gratitude? Bear in mind that I don’t know who you are, what it is that Lexa promised, or what we have that you could want.”  
Roan thought, he knew what it was that he wanted to ask for, but he was unwilling to risk her ire at that moment, but he could offer some of the information that she asked for.  
“I am Roan. I was the Crown Prince of Azgeda before I was banished. Heda promised that she would lift my banishment and have me restored to my rightful place. If what you say is true, then the likelihood is that she would not want to risk it being known that it was I who captured you and would find a way to renege.”  
“Yeah, I bet she would find some loophole in her agreement with you. If you’ve been banished, how do you know about the mountain?”  
“I still have friends in Azgeda. The Queen is not a well liked person, she is feared but not respected by most of her subjects.”  
“I’m sorry that you have such a bitch for a mother – assuming that the Queen is the mother to the Crown Prince.”  
Roan laughed. He did like this girl, woman, whatever.  
“What did you do to get banished? I do hope it was worth it.”  
Again Roan laughed. “No, it was not. Although it did get me out of my mother’s grasp and allowed me to meet you, so perhaps it was. My mother had the Commander’s lover killed. I had to deliver Costia’s head. I was caught. The Commander banished me because I delivered her head, my mother banished me because I was caught delivering the head. Perhaps if I had known what it was I was delivering I would not have exclaimed at the wrong time and therefore would not have been caught. But, it is what it is.”  
“Ah, very philosophical of you; but you’re right, you can’t change what happened so you make the best of what you have. My dad was killed and my mom was partly responsible. I have yet to forgive her. I wish I could let it go, she can’t go back in time and make a different choice so I don’t know what I expect from her now.”  
“Perhaps you need to know that she repents her choice” Roan suggested.  
“You might be right. So far I don’t think she has actually said that. Wow, talking to you is doing me so much good. Perhaps I can run another scenario by you and hear more sage words.”  
“Go ahead” Roan really was feeling entertained as they walked through the forest; he was glad he decided to converse with her.  
“I hate that I had to kill so many people. I am a doctor, a healer. I’m not supposed to kill people I am supposed to make them better.”  
“How many have you killed and why did you kill them?” Roan wondered how many more this girl could have killed.  
“First of all I had to kill Atom. He had been caught in the acid fog and there was nothing I could do for him. I slit his throat. I don’t really regret that one since it eased his pain. I was captured by one of Trikru who wanted me to become their healer. I killed him to escape. I feel bad for that because I might have been able to find another way to escape, but I went for the quickest way. I agreed with the launch of flares that were just meant to send a signal to the space station but instead they landed on a Trikru village resulting in many deaths. When Trikru attacked, thinking that the flares were missiles and we had declared war, I incinerated three hundred of their warriors. My head says that I did the right thing there because they would otherwise have killed all my people, but still, we were less than one hundred and to save us I killed three hundred. Then I did the same in the mountain. To save less than fifty people I wiped out a race of nearly four hundred. My people started out as one hundred and now we are down to less than fifty and still I’ve killed nearly a thousand. How can that be right?”  
“The village was an accident for which you were not wholly responsible, yes?”  
“Correct, but …”  
“No buts, it was not deliberate so you do not need to feel guilt. Feel sorrow, but not guilt. Try to find a way to make some recompense to the village; help rebuild, provide food, maybe be their healer for a while. The three hundred warriors would feel they went to a good death, dying on the field of battle. You saved them the shame of being defeated yet surviving. The people in the mountain have been killing us for as long as we can remember. You didn’t just save your people, you saved us too. You are correct in thinking that once they were able to leave the mountain they would have wiped us out, or used their superior weapons to make us their slaves. You saved thousands. Allowing you to escape when captured would have led to a shameful punishment for whoever was responsible; and to die from the acid fog would be excruciating. Those two individuals, you saved them from great pain. So all these deaths, mourn them, yes, but you have no need to feel any guilt.”  
“Wow, talking to you was worth getting kidnapped. Now I feel that I really do owe you. Will you recognise the Azgedan who will try to blow up the mountain?” Clarke felt the weight responsibility and guilt lift from her shoulders.  
“Yes. If it is who I think it will be she will be loyal to what she thinks is right for Azgeda, not me and not the Queen. So if you want to go for the peaceful solution we just have to convince her that it is best for Azgeda that the mountain stays intact. However, since she was one of those captured and released by the Commander’s deal, she may feel that she wants to blow it up.”  
“Hmmph, then perhaps we should try to locate Bellamy, the one who disabled the acid fog which allowed for the deal to be struck. She owes him. I suppose the primary object is to get to the mountain and restrain this woman ..”  
“Echo” Roan interrupted Clarke. “Her name is Echo: if it is who I suspect it will be.”  
“Okay, then we restrain Echo, or whoever it is, and try to persuade her not to blow up the mountain, and if that doesn’t work, we get Raven to make sure that she can’t.”  
“Who is Raven and what can she do to prevent Echo from completing her task?”  
“Raven can make it so that the information Echo was given on how to initiate the self destruct is no longer valid. Raven is my hero.”  
“If she’s half as interesting as you, I can’t wait to meet her” Roan smirked at Clarke.  
Even when Roan wanted to rest, Clarke insisted that they keep going as long as they could see. It would not be the first time Clarke had gone through the night without sleep and she very much doubted that it would be a first for the Azgedan prince either.  
When Clarke needed to relieve herself, she raised her hands along with an imperious brow and her restraints were removed. As soon as she was ready, Clarke demanded that they move on. Unused to being ordered around by someone other than his mother, Roan chose to be amused rather than insulted.  
Walking all through the night they reached Mount Weather the next morning. Clarke was warmly welcomed by most people, but her guest was not.  
“Did Roan do anything? No? Then you cannot hold him responsible for the actions of others. He has proven to be a friend since he has come to warn us of a potential threat to us. Roan, can you tell everyone what you know, and what you suspect is about to happen?” Clarke made it clear that she expected Roan to be treated with respect.  
Roan told the crowd what he had heard and what he thought would be about to happen.  
“I’m on it” Raven said as left to go to the control room.  
“Do you think we should evacuate just in case?” Bellamy asked.  
“If you are seen to do something different then she will know something is up. She might already be out watching and have seen my arrival. Your best option is to make sure that the self destruct mechanism cannot be engaged and to try to catch Echo red handed.”  
“Echo?” Bellamy asked. “There was an Echo in the cages here.”  
“Yes Echo was held here” Roan confirmed.  
“Then she owes me her life” Bellamy was grim.  
“That may help persuade her not to do as ordered, but it may only buy you time for your Raven to make sure she cannot succeed” Roan offered.  
As the day wore on and there was no sign of an Azgedan infiltrator Clarke began to hope that they arrived in time for Roan’s arrival not to be noticed. It would probably make it easier if he was not known to be helping Skaikru.  
Roan spent most of his time in the control room, fascinated with watching the monitors, looking for activity that would indicate that Echo had arrived. He marvelled at the radio that he had been given to alert Clarke should he spot Echo or whomever The Queen had sent. It was the second day of this activity when Roan spotted Echo. She was doing what she was very good at – blending in; but Raven had told Roan that she would need to enter the control room, the one he was currently occupying, so he focussed his attention on the monitors on the corridors approaching his location.  
“Clarke, the game is on. What should I do?” Roan said over the radio.  
“Wait there until we arrive. We won’t be long.”  
Clarke went to collect Bellamy, only to find him talking to Echo.  
“ … Wanheda.” Echo was talking about Clarke, but unfortunately Clarke had not heard the start of the conversation.  
“Are you saying that Clarke has been captured as is currently being taken to Azgeda?”  
“Yes, I came to warn you because I owe you my life and I know how much Wanheda means to you” Echo lied so well that Clarke almost believed it herself.  
“Why are you calling her Wanheda? Her name is Clarke” Bellamy tried to delay Echo.  
“Since she took down the mountain she has become a living legend. Wanheda means ‘Commander of Death’ and it is measure of respect. But it also means that there are some who want the power of Wanheda for themselves and a bounty has been placed on her head. You need to go and hurry if you want to catch them up, and, please, don’t let on that I am the one to tell you” Echo played her part well.  
Bellamy turned to leave, only to double back and with Clarke, made his way to the Control room. They entered the room just as Echo turned into the corridor that led direct to the room.  
“Do you want to be here or would you rather not let her know you’re here?” Clarke asked.  
“Let her see me” Roan decided. “If she decides to return to Azgeda, and if she does she will be punished severely for her failure, she can take a message for me.”  
“The Guards are at the ready to make sure she doesn’t escape except by our leave” Bellamy said grimly, pissed at how Echo betrayed him.  
Raven appeared from the side door. “You’re not doing this without me” she said. “That bitch has to know it was me who stopped her.”  
Roan, Bellamy and Raven all went to line up against the wall behind the door that Echo was preparing to enter. The first person she would see was Clarke, clearly not on her way to Azgeda as someone’s prisoner.  
“Wanheda!” Echo was shocked. “I, I, I was not expecting to see you here.”  
“No, why not? Surely since I killed the mountain men I would have the right to take the mountain as my own. That is your way is it not?” Clarke was a little snide.  
“Yes, well” Echo was a little flummoxed and she looked around for the first time since entering the room and saw the three others waiting for her. Shock would be an understatement at who she saw.  
“As you can see Echo, I managed to catch Clarke up very quickly and return her safely home” Bellamy was cutting.  
“I’m sorry that I lied to you, but I wanted to get you out of here” Echo didn’t sound too contrite.  
“Why, so you could blow up the mountain with almost everyone I love in here? My girlfriend is in here. The salvation for my people is in this mountain since we have nowhere else we can go. We saved your life and this is how you repay us?”  
“I have my orders and the only way to stop me is to kill me. And I too would like to see the end to this place. You should have made sure that you killed all the mountain men. You left one alive and he hates you all with a passion for what you did to his people.”  
“Why didn’t you or yours kill him for what he and his people did to you and yours?”  
“He had information that The Queen found very interesting. His life was promised in exchange for this information.”  
“But what happens when this information proves to be false?” Raven entered the fray. “I mean, I want you to try to do what he told you to do. The five of us will stay in this room to see what happens.”  
“No! We need to leave. We will have ten minutes to get away before it blows” Echo didn’t consider the possibility that it would not work.  
“No, seriously, I want you to do exactly what he told you to do and the five of us will just sit here and wait for what happens. If his information was correct then I accept that we will die. Are you prepared to die?” Raven persisted.  
Echo, knowing that she was beaten, and not able to see any way by which she would be allowed to leave the mountain alive anyway decided to bring the four others down with her.  
Only things did not go as she had planned: instead of the countdown to the mountain blowing, it was a countdown to a missile launch.  
“That missile will be headed for Azgeda territory” Raven assured Echo.  
“No! It can’t you must stop it!” Echo declared, almost begged.  
“Did your informant give you information on how to stop it once the countdown began?” Raven was clearly enjoying herself.  
“No, but we would not want to stop it once it began. It was meant to blow the mountain!”  
“I think that when you leave here, you should return to your Queen, assuming she is still alive, and tell her exactly what happened when you did what you were told to do” Clarke suggested. “It might help reduce any punishment you would receive if you were to take the head of the informant. Also, you can pass the message on that now that we have the mountain, any attempt to take it, or us, will be met with deadly force. Leave us to live in peace and we will leave you to do the same.”  
Echo did not want to face her Queen, but knew that Wanheda was correct, she could only return with the head of Emerson so that she could see that he had been punished for his treachery.

It took Echo three days to discover that Emerson was being held in Arkadia. It took a further two to break him out. Emerson was sure that he was now safe. He was wrong. Echo took Emerson’s head back to Azgeda and left the rest of the body for animals to scavenge. There she found that Queen Nia was still alive, but gravely injured, and Ontari was dead.  
Echo explained that she got into the mountain and did exactly as she had been instructed. Once she realised that they had been betrayed she hunted the betrayer. Echo’s sense of self preservation told her not to mention her conversations with Roan and Skaikru which meant that she did not pass on the message about being met with deadly force, something that she came to regret when the Azgedan army marched on Mount Weather and was wiped out: the sole survivor was Echo.

Clarke negotiated a new treaty with Lexa. This time it was Clarke who held all the power. The area around Arkadia and Mount Weather was marked as Skaikru territory.  
Roan was pronounced King of Azgeda and when he married Clarke, she became his Queen. When Arkadia discovered the Farm Station beacon, and Clarke accompanied Bellamy and some others to investigate she was appalled at what she found. All the Skaikru people were released from their slavery, and those Azgedans responsible for the enslavement were sent to Arkadia to be indentured workers for a period of five years. Roan asked why Clarke did not order their deaths. Clarke pointed out that the dead cannot pay their debts. Roan was once again reminded of why he loved the Skai Prisa, his Queen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a bit of a Roarke shipper and was so disappointed when Roan was killed off. This is one of my efforts to bring back the light that was Roan.


	6. Clarke Chooses to Punish Emerson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Clarke receives Carl Emerson in a box from Prince Roan who was allowed to leave Polis after delivering Wanheda to the Commander even though he was still banished from Azgeda, she has to decide his fate: does she let him go, or kill him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this story the order of things is a little different to canon:  
Queen Nia is still on the throne and has just destroyed Mt Weather;  
Clarke and Lexa are already lovers.
> 
> I doubt that I got the numbers correct, but I think you get the point?

Lexa watched as her lover inspected the beaten and yet defiant Emerson, last of the Mountain scum, sent to her by the now favour seeking Azgedan Prince, waiting to hear Clarke’s verdict. Would Clarke live up to her words that ‘Blood Must Not Have Blood’ or must that only apply when Skaikru’s death is called for?  
“You murderous Sky Bitch!” Emerson growled as he looked at Clarke. “You might be able to order my death, or kill me yourself but it won’t make what you did right! You murdered innocent children, my children, watched as the radiation slowly burned them alive. I’m glad I killed some of yours; you deserved their loss for what you did to me. I might die today, my suffering over, but while you can live on I hope suffer the agony of what you did for a long time.”  
Clarke tore the arm from what remained of the shirt Emerson was wearing and used it to gag him. She pondered Emerson’s words and then Lexa saw the moment Clarke reached her decision.  
“Emerson is correct: I killed innocent children, and our allies, those who had refused the treatments and were helping to keep our people safe. Cage Wallace left me with no choice but to kill them if I wanted to defeat the mountain, but still they were innocent and I should suffer for them and remember their loss. We all need to remember that although it might be unavoidable, we should still mourn the loss of the innocents, even those of our enemies. Commander, I humbly request that you carve a heart shape, with a rainbow above it, and the number 26 on my chest and that I receive 26 lashes on my back to make sure I never forget them.”  
Lexa felt her heart swell with pride: Clarke was trying to blend her own beliefs in with those of her people in a way that they could only admire.  
“As you wish, Wanheda. It will be carried out once we have agreed what is to be done with the scum” Lexa said.  
Clarke turned back to look at Emerson, and the Ambassadors, standing tall and looking every inch the Commander of Death.   
“What he and his people did to yours can never be paid for by just one man, not even with Skaikru technology, or the Commander of Death to assist, but that does not mean he should go unpunished. It is not for me to say how he should be punished for what he and his people did to yours, but I admit I would like to see him kept in a cage the same as your people were for decades, but the punishment for that crime must be by the Commander’s wish and not mine.” There were some murmurings from the Ambassadors, partly in admiration and agreement, partly in consternation that death by one thousand cuts was not being sought.  
“I seek no punishment for the death of Atom, Trina and Pascal kom Skaikru by the acid fog. The Mountain people paid for that at my hand. You may feel different and want Emerson to feel some of the pain your people felt when burning from that terror, but again it for the Commander to decide.”  
Lexa wondered if there was a way for that to happen, but then Clarke carried on speaking, keeping all in the room enraptured: even Titus.  
“For the death of my people that gave Emerson the ability to walk out of the mountain I ask that the same thing be done to him as was done to Fox, Raven, my mom, amongst others, drill into his hip, without pain relief to remove bone marrow, not to kill him, but just to let him know the pain they felt when it was done to them again and again, until they either died or I killed the people doing it. If the Commander allows, I shall carry out that punishment myself, with the aid of the other Ambassadors to hold him down, once I have acquired a drill.”  
Lexa looked at the Ambassadors and knew that they would be glad to assist, even in so small a way, to punish Emerson. “It shall be as you say, Wanheda” Lexa agreed.  
“Thank you, Commander” Clarke continued. “Finally for the death of the innocent Skaikru as the mountain was blown, I seek only that the same punishment be given to Emmerson as will apply to me for the death of the innocent from the Mountain, but with 49 instead of 26. Nothing can bring them back, nor make up for the suffering their families and loved ones feel at their loss so no punishment can ever balance their deaths.”  
Lexa hid her smirk as she applauded Clarke’s diplomacy, and ruthlessness, knowing that Clarke’s 26 lashes would be a lot less violent than Emmerson’s 49, she would ensure it.  
“That, too, shall be as you say Wanheda” Lexa agreed. “As to the punishment for the imprisonment, torture, murder, acid fog and the attacks by the reapers, Wanheda is correct, there is no punishment that one man, or even many men, could receive that would make up for what our people have suffered over the years. I have decided that Emmerson will be caged as my people were, drained of his blood, but not to the point of death as my people were, burnt by acid, as my people were, and, as he saw his loved ones killed, know that my people saw their loved ones killed by reapers, the fog and being taken and what happened to them in the Mountain. Emerson’s punishment will be the same as my peoples. As we suffered for five decades, so shall he.”  
Emerson looked shocked, terrified. Lexa thought that he would have preferred death, even if it were by a thousand cuts. The Ambassadors looked gleeful, blood was not having blood, but the punishment was appropriate to the crime. Lexa managed not to look at Clarke as she delivered the sentence just in case there was disappointment that she did not want to see.  
“Titus, either bring a cage of the appropriate dimensions, or have one made. Punishments will begin at dawn tomorrow with the lashings and carvings. All ambassadors are expected to witness and assist with Emerson’s punishment. I shall carry out Wanheda’s myself as per her request. Emerson’s cage is to be kept outside for two weeks, under guard, so that the people can see that he is being punished, but not give him the release of a quick death.”

“That was so hot listening to you be all Commandery” Clarke said as she hovered over her lover’s naked body. “I don’t know how I was able to keep upright and not melt in pool of lust at your feet.”  
“What is ‘Commandery’? Is it like when you were firm, but calm; ruthless, but compassionate; vengeful, but regretful?” Lexa asked breathlessly.  
“Yeah, exactly like that” Clarke lapped at Lexa’s belly button.  
“Then I too do not know how I did not melt into a pool of lust at your feet.”

Clarke knew that the lashes Lexa was bestowing on her back were not as brutal as they could be, perhaps as they should be, but by the time the twelfth blow was delivered she could no longer hold back her cries of pain.  
When Lexa was finished she softly praised her love promising that it would soon be over.  
“Healers, treat Wanheda’s back to prevent infection, no pain relief, she wished to suffer for the deaths of the innocent and Wanheda will get her wish!” Lexa knew that no pain relief would help at that particular time and that once the carvings had been done she, personally, would see to Clarke’s well being.  
“Each of the Ambassadors, excepting Azgeda and Skaikru, will give the mountain man four lashes. I will strike the final five” Lexa handed the whip to the Ambassador for Floukru to make the first four strikes.  
As Lexa expected, the Ambassadors were a lot more vicious with Emerson than she was with Clarke. By the time she got to deliver her blows, Lexa knew that Emerson was beyond any pain she could cause him so she struck to cause maximum damage that would be felt in the future. Once she was finished, Lexa instructed the healers to make sure that Emerson did not succumb to infection.  
Next, Lexa quickly and cleanly carved the heart, rainbow and number 26 just above Clarke’s left breast and once again instructed the healers to make sure that Clarke suffered no infection. Lexa then ordered the Sangarakru Ambassador to carve one half of the heart shape on Emmerson’s chest, the next was to carve the other half, then came the seven arches of a rainbow and finally two carved the numbers four and nine inside the heart.  
Whilst Lexa was quick with her carving, the Ambassadors took great pleasure in drawing out their portion of Emerson’s carving.  
Lexa declared that the next stage of the punishment would be carried out only once Emerson had healed.

Bellamy, looking and feeling very uncomfortable on a horse, arrived in Polis with the Commander’s messenger who had ridden to Arkadia requesting a medical drill. Bellamy knew that it would have to have something to do with the happenings at the Mountain and stormed into Clarke’s chamber full of bluster, only to be brought up short at the sight of the Commander treating Clarke’s wounds.  
“What? How? Clarke, what happened to you?” Bellamy asked.  
“For the innocents in the mountain” Clarke began. “I wanted to be punished for the deaths of the innocents. I keep seeing them in my head, in my dreams and I needed to be punished: and it allowed me to demand the same for our innocents.”   
“Oh, Clarke, you didn’t need to be punished for what happened in the mountain. Tell me everything, please” Bellamy begged as he sat on the other side of Clarke and enfolded one of her hands into both of his.  
Lexa told Bellamy everything that had happened once Emerson was brought before the Council of the Ambassadors.  
“If anyone should bear the pain of the death of the innocents, it’s you, Commander. If you had not broken our alliance then we may have been able to save some of them” Bellamy said with bite.  
“I did exactly what Clarke did, I sacrificed the people I had aligned with to protect my own. It is my sworn duty to do so. Now that Skaikru is part of the coalition, you are also my people whom it is my duty to protect” Lexa made it clear that she was not apologising for abandoning Skaikru at the Mountain. “And this brings me to another point to be discussed tomorrow with the Ambassadors: what do we do about Azgeda. It is clear that they are a danger to the coalition, and to Skaikru in particular, so how do we protect Skaikru and if possible avoid a war?”  
And thus, Bellamy Blake was brought onside to work with the army that was sent to protect Arkadia, rather than against it. He, and some others from Skaikru, camped and worked alongside the primarily Trikru warriors to protect Arkadia and to denounce and share stories of the atrocities committed by the Azgedan filth on both their peoples.  
One who became a staunch ally of Trikru, to the surprise of everyone who had heard his rhetoric about all grounders being the same and should be exterminated like the vermin they were, was Charles Pike. Many people from both krus later laid bets of when he and Indra would become an official couple. None got it right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not my personal style, but I know that some people do feel the need to be punished for somethings that they carry an enormous burden of guilt, and I rather thought that Clarke could get over a lot of stuff if she could feel like she had been punished.  
Not sure how I feel about Pike and Indra, but oh, well ... . I don't think this is enough to put a relationship tag, though!


	7. Cillian Chooses to Tell Clarke About the Primes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If only Cillian had been honest with Clarke rather than drawing the attention of the guards, the whole story could have gone differently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why did Cillian become intimate with Clarke if he didn't like her? Was it just sex? Why didn't he talk to her about the consequences of black blood in Sanctum? Hindsight, eh?

Cillian was a very attractive man, and I could feel as we danced so close together, almost as one, that the attraction was totally mutual. I wondered if it would be at all wise to just let myself go with the feeling. Actually, that is a lie: I knew that it wouldn’t be at all wise, but I wondered if it would be worth the stick I was bound to get from my so called friends. Discounting the 125 years I had been in cryo-sleep, I hadn’t had sex in nearly seven years and, to be honest, I was long overdue for a really good orgasm or two. There was a lot of time to make up for and I only hoped that Cillian was up for the job.

He definitely was.

Lying in Cillian’s bed, recovering from my third, or maybe it was the fourth, orgasm, I felt a distinct cooling in the room, and it had nothing to do with the physical temperature.  
“Please tell me you didn’t just use me to cheat on someone with” my words spelled out what I thought of as the most likely explanation for the tension; and the tone set out my fear.

“What? No! Why would you think that?” Cillian almost soothed my qualms.

“Then what, Cillian? Why has the temperature in here gone from boiling to almost freezing in a matter of seconds?” I demanded.

Cillian was silent for so long that I thought he wasn’t going to answer. “Never mind” I said as I rose from the bed and started to dress.

“No, Clarke, wait, please” Cillian at last started to speak. “Give me a minute to try to organise my thoughts before I try to explain, please?”

I nodded my agreement but none the less continued to dress.

I watched as Cillian seemed to silently argue with himself, only to mutter “no, that won’t work” under his breath as he continued his one sided discussion. I wasn’t sure if he was aware of it, but he, too, was redressing.

“Okay, this is going to sound so far fetched and I don’t know if you will believe me, but I need you to promise that you will not repeat anything I say to anyone that you don’t trust to keep their mouths shut. I’m serious Clarke” he could clearly see that I was about to question him, “none of what I’m telling you can get back to the Primes; my life, your life and that of all your friends hangs on total discretion.”

I looked at his earnest face and gave my word “I promise I will only tell those who need to know, and only what they need to know. I will also swear them to secrecy.”

“Thank you.” At that Cillian got up and went to get a sheet of paper that had drawings of some of my people. Two had crosses through them, Octavia and Murphy, only one was circled – mine. The others were left unmarked. “I know those two” and he pointed to Octavia and Murphy’s pictures “are red blooded and I know you are black blooded. I do not know about the others. I do not want you to tell me about them unless you can truthfully tell me that no one else has black blood.”

I guess he was waiting for me to say that everyone else was red blooded but I just continued to stare down at the drawings. They were good and I would have smirked at the one of Madi showing her now almost perpetual frown if I wasn’t just so sad that once again the colour of someone’s blood determined how they were treated.

“I was made into a nightblood as an experiment to try to find a way to combat the increased radiation from the second apocalypse” I tried to explain. “There was one other, but he died in testing. My mom broke the radiation chamber before I could be tested. There were no further experiments. A few hundred survived in bunker, and a handful went back to space. That’s why there are so few of us left: thousands died in praimfaya, including Luna, the last known nightblood from whom we obtained the bone marrow to make my blood black. Knowing you have natural nightbloods will make some of our people want to assimilate that much more with yours, others fear it; and to be honest, going by the way everyone is reacting to my blood I tend to agree more with those who fear it. Am I right to?”

I forced myself to look at Cillian, unable to mask my fear, as he nodded. “Yes. Do you know the history of the Primes, and why we have naming days?”

“Delilah explained, in a bit more detail than Russel did. I understand that the Primes, or the founding families, were originally made into nightbloods as a guard against increased radiation, and that the naming days is a way that the current nightbloods are used to memorialise the Primes. Is that not correct?” It was a silly question; it was obvious by Cillian’s responses that it was not correct.

Cillian explained the true purpose of the naming day and why they needed nightbloods.

“Bloody Becca, nightblood and her damned AIs” I said.

“Becca may have created black blood but she had nothing to do with these AIs” Cillian said, “And you’ve taken it all remarkably calmly.”

I turned round and showed him the scar on the back of my neck. “Where do you put yours?” I asked.

“You have an implant now?” he asked.

“No, I had one and I never want to go through that again. All those voices in my head, I still hear them even though it’s been years.”

That seemed to surprise Cillian. “No one has ever retained themselves after receiving the implant. That is why it is so bad for those with black blood. They think it is an honour that they will one day grow up to adopt the name and life of one of the Primes, but they don’t know that everything that they are will be lost. We have never been able to successfully remove an implant and keep the host alive. You are a miracle.”

“I expect they are just different AIs. What do you suggest I do? I can’t just wait to be taken over by one of your Primes. I have a daughter who needs me” I begged for help.

“You need to take anyone else who is black blooded and leave on your ship. There are problems with living outside the dome, especially during the eclipses, but you could settle on the other side of the moon and find ways to adapt as those who are banished do. If you all go at once you will be noticed more. Perhaps have some red bloods bring your ship back without you so that when the rest of you are kicked out of Sanctum, they have somewhere to go, too.”

I looked at the handsome doctor with a little sorrow, and some scepticism. “Why are you helping us, Cillian?”

“Because I like you and I don’t want you to be changed into someone not you; and it will happen sooner or later. All of your people will be checked, by fair means or foul, to discover if more of you are black bloods and at some point, once you are someone else, an excuse will be found to banish your people anyway. We are trying to find ways to end the rule of the Primes, but so far all we can do is try to take any black bloods before they are turned: sorry that you got hurt in one of our operations.”

When Russel offered to let us stay because I had helped rescue Delilah, I had thought it was a good thing that I did: now I wished that I had been selfish and that we had just been banished from Sanctum. Now I had the problem of explaining it all to Bellamy and Madi, and finding a way to get Madi away from Sanctum without raising any suspicions.

“I’m going to be sorry to lose what we may have been, Cillian” I said, accepting that this was really a goodbye, “but thank you. As long as I’m me, I won’t forget that you saved my life.”

I went to find Bellamy and quietly told him what Cillian told me.

“Do you trust him?” Bellamy asked.

“I think that for Madi’s sake it is better that we make sure she is safe. I would say that we should wait since they apparently can’t do it until the recipient is 21 so Madi has a few years, but we know how she is likely to react if I am body snatched and she learns that the same thing will happen to her. I think we need to be proactive in our defence.”

“Okay, you find and explain it all to Madi. Tomorrow we explain to Russel that as leader of the landing team, you are going back to the ship to report to our Commander. Ask him if there is a way our Commander could talk to him from space to talk about final numbers, timing etc to make it seem that you are really coming back. Take your mom too, so it won’t look too odd that it’s a family leaving but don’t say anything about who will be leaving with you. A group of us will come with you to see you off, and as protection, or something so that hopefully no one will question who is going where. Try to get in the conversation that Madi has only been your daughter for a few years and you want to spend what time you can with her so that her abandonment issues aren’t switched on, or whatever happens with abandonment issues, something so that he knows that Madi is not your natural daughter.” 

Bellamy was clearly thinking out loud, but raising some very good points and I told him so.

“Yeah, well; when something seems too good to be true, it usually is so you have to think of things you might need to do to get out. At least they’re not hanging us upside down to drain our blood, or drilling into our bones” Bellamy sighed.

I snorted as I agreed with him.

As it turned out, Jordan wanted to come with us because he saw the truth in so much as Delilah had clearly become someone else at her naming day and he didn’t want to be around people who would sanction that, or do it to his friends.

When we arrived at the ship, accompanied by a few Sanctum guards, there was some discussion about who was leaving since the guards were expecting that only I was going, but they accepted the argument about our family staying together and that Jordan wanted to leave since it clear that the girl he was into had moved up beyond his reach with her naming day. Raven, naturally, had to leave too since she was the pilot. I resolved there and then to make sure that we had at least one further pilot, Jordan definitely and maybe one or two others. Diyoza came to join us since she could not be sure of the safety of her baby outside the dome. I thought that she would know if any of her people would be good to train as pilots.

Raven clearly still thought that everything was all my fault and that if it wasn’t for me they would be able to have a good home in Sanctum. I wanted to tell her the truth about why Russel relented and said we could stay, but I knew she was not ready to hear it: McCreary destroying Shallow Valley was my fault, and consequently it was my fault that Monty and Harper had died while we were in cryo; Shaw dying was all my fault; and us having to leave Sanctum was all my fault. I used to think that she was right, but strangely, after talking with Cillian, I realised that I was not to blame. Sometimes, but not always, I may have been a small part of the problem; but I was always a big part of the solution. Spacekru needed to get their heads out of their asses and see that Madi, and to a lesser degree my mom, were the only reason my loyalty stayed with my people. Once Madi no longer needed me, I was determined to try to join Cillian’s group to fight to end the rule of the Primes.

Once back at the main ship Madi chaired a meeting between Abby, Diyoza, Indra, Raven and me. Raven was adamant that she and the rest of the gang wanted, deserved, the chance to make it in Sanctum. Abby was trying to argue against the idea. I tried to keep a neutral expression on my face but I think Madi could read me.

“No, let them stay there once we are satisfied that Raven has trained Jordan and another to pilot the shuttle we can drop Raven off and give the others the choice.”

Raven smirked at me as if she had gotten one over on me. I may not have a successful as I should have been at hiding my own thoughts then. I had given up on being friends with the smug self righteous spacekru and I thought that we would stand a better chance of becoming one kru without those who thought they were better than the rest of us.

Three days later, Jordan piloted the shuttle carrying Raven, Indra and two guards. Indra wore a hidden recorder so that we could hear all that was said once she returned.

First Indra apologised for the fact that she arrived later than planned but because our Commander, no Chancellor, the peaceful term of our leader, was ill she was standing in their stead. When Russell questioned my absence Indra pointed out that I was the leader of the landing party only, and since I gained agreement to our people being able to settle in Sanctum I clearly did an excellent job.

“However” Indra went on once the snorts of derision from Spacekru died down, “there was one point that you raised, Russel, that our Commander, sorry Chancellor, I really must get comfortable with these new peace time terms, feels that Clarke, with her inherent ideological kindness” and Indra told us that the Spacekru’s snorts were quelled by her stare “would not be able to appreciate or address appropriately. You said that you were concerned because of our peoples’ violent history. We feel you are right to be. We are one people who have yet to fully come to terms with the battle that killed many of our best. We will still have our moments of fear and insecurity that are likely to result in occasional, if not frequent, outbursts of violent behaviour until such a time as everyone is confident of their place in this time of peace. We do not wish to put the burden of this time of adjustment and growth on your people who are used to peace and tranquillity. Our Comm, no Chancellor wishes it to be known that we would like to settle on the other side of the moon so that we will not adversely affect the wonderful life you and your people enjoy in Sanctum. Perhaps one day, when we too can live so serenely we can meet again to discuss closer relations.”

“I am sorry to hear that you won’t be joining us, but I thank you for your consideration of our well being. Clarke came across to us as such a lovely person, someone who wanted a quiet life after the violence that she had dealt with previously. Would she not benefit from staying with us during your period of adjustment? We should like it if she were to stay” Russel asked.

“Thank you. We know of the stories that you were told of Clarke’s past, but they were stories. Stories that were based on true events of-course, but were exaggerated for dramatic effect. Clarke knows of the violence that people can perpetuate: she found a feral orphan who she loved and cared for even after that child tried to kill her and almost cost her her leg; she holds no ill will to those who kidnapped and tortured her; it was harder for her, but she also forgave those who tried to take her child away from her; she forgives those who betrayed her, and others who have tried to kill her, and yes, there are some people amongst us earthlings who have tried to kill Clarke on numerous occasions yet she forgives. Clarke is undoubtedly the best of us and we need her to help us to learn forgiveness. For if the person you betrayed, hurt, kidnapped, tortured or tried to kill can forgive you then surely you can forgive the person who perhaps was on the other side in a battle and, often hardest, forgive yourself.”

Even through the recorder the way the silence spoke seemed almost palpable. I knew that it was agreed that Indra would say something about why I was needed with my people but I did not expect such a ringing endorsement. I was overcome with surprised gratitude.

“Indra is correct” Madi said: “you are the best example of how to forgive that I and all the Commanders before me know of.”

“Your dad would be so proud” Abby said tearfully.

I could only nod my acceptance as the recording continued with Indra talking.

“Raven, however, has indicated that she and some others of our people would like to take you up on your offer to stay in Sanctum. We would be sorry to lose the skills of our best mechanic” and it was impossible not to hear Indra’s dislike of the term “and apprentice, or our best doctor, or a great teacher, or good cook, or even top guards, but it must be for them to decide. We want our people happy and if they would be happier with you then that is what we want for them. Bellamy has been nominated to be the leader of the Earthlings in Sanctum so perhaps he could let us know?”

Indra told us that she could see that Russel was trying to think of way to get out of the offer for them to stay. We knew that listing the skills that they came with would make it difficult for Russel to go with anything but the truth. Before he could say anything, though, Bellamy spoke.

“I’m sorry, but I feel that our place is with our people, helping them to rebuild and renew our ties. Our time in Sanctum has given us a goal to aim for: it will be a struggle, but nothing worthwhile in life is fully appreciated if it is given without being worked for. I know that one or two may wish to stay, but as their leader I am overriding their wishes because I know that deep down they wish to be with the rest of our people, and it is merely a case of sorrow at the ending of a holiday that has caused that desire. I, on behalf of the Earthlings here, thank you, Russel and all of Sanctum, for the warm hospitality and kindness you have shown. We must leave, but I sincerely mean our traditional farewell, may we meet again.”

I was almost in hysterics listening to Bellamy’s speech.

“Why has no one cut out his tongue when he talks like that?” Indra asked.

“Because it is a useful skill to have on your side when you want to rally the troops” I said. “Part of me does wish that he hadn’t spoken then because I would really like to know what Russel would have said in order to kick them out.”

Cillian had passed a note and radio to Indra from Octavia. She said that she was staying to help Gabriel and wished us luck and offered the warning to speak Trig.

We took the shuttle to our new home and set up camp. When the eclipse was coming we all sheltered in the shuttle where the effects were unable to penetrate. It made us realise that our best bet for getting through the eclipses without a shield and using manacles was to land the home ship so that even when all our people are up and about, there is room to shelter. We ended up setting up a few cinemas, a couple of bars and some dormitories so that the ship became or entertainment hub during the eclipses which meant that they were almost looked forward to rather than feared.

Ryker and Cillian came out to visit us one time by motor bike. Ryker clearly had something with Raven, which may explain why she wanted to stay in Sanctum, and Cillian and I picked up where we left off. They both liked how we lived, the lack of hypocrisy, the willingness for everyone to pitch in yet not deny who and what we are and the sheer energy that they said we emitted. 

Not long after Cillian and Ryker returned home we were gifted with a visit from Octavia and Gabriel. I was so sad to see that Bellamy had yet to learn the skill of forgiveness, or perhaps of understanding. It was I who ran to hug Octavia in welcome, only to be shoved aside by Niylah, then Miller. It was Madi who made the biggest impact: she went up to Octavia and used her carrying Commander’s voice to say “Heda Octavia, you are very welcome to join us in Harper’s Monty”. Did I forget to say what we called our new home? Yeah, by an overwhelming majority we decided to call our settlement ‘Harper’s Monty’. Octavia nearly cried at the welcome she received, but I think that the lack of one from her brother contributed to her build up of tears.

The visit didn’t last too long “We still have work to do” Octavia said, but it was so good to see her, generally happy and with a purpose to life that required more from her than unremitting violence. I was happy for her, and proud of her; and I told her so as I hugged her goodbye. Octavia smiled and nodded to me as she put on her helmet. It was only as I turned away once the motor bike was nought but a speck in the distance did I see Bellamy.

“Madi could kill me now and I would forgive her and still love her” I said to him. “We were the ones who put Octavia in that untenable position and wondered why she turned out the way she did. She has love and acceptance now, rather than fear and treachery, she is happy. Octavia might no longer be the girl who chased butterflies, but she is not Blodreina anymore either; you should be proud.”

I hated how sanctimonious Bellamy could be, as if he had never done anything for which he should be ashamed; but I had said my piece. I knew that both Cillian and Ryker had nothing but respect for Octavia and was worried that Raven and Bellamy’s hypocrisy over Octavia might cause some problems down the line.

Shortly after Octavia left I started to feel ill: I couldn’t keep food down and was either extremely tired or full of energy. For all my medical skills I still needed a trip to the med centre to discover I was pregnant. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that development, mainly because I was concerned that Madi might feel that I would no longer love her as much, but I knew that I needed to let Cillian know. Since I couldn’t get in touch with Cillian direct I had to pass the information through Octavia, in Trig without using Cillian’s name. I almost had burst eardrums to live with when O screeched down the radio when she finally understood what I was saying. She ended the conversation promising to get the message through and to remind me that all children were blessings.

Three weeks later Cillian turned up with a fully loaded back pack on his bike.

“I’m not leaving you again” he declared, loudly and proudly. “Ryker said that Raven could service the bike for me and he would keep an eye out for others so I no longer need to be in Sanctum.”

I smiled as I hugged him to me. “How do you know I want to keep you?” I asked.

Cillian’s grin was wide. “Easy” he replied, “you made sure I knew. If you had wanted me kept away you could have kept quiet and disappeared when I came to visit again.” He was correct. 

Our son, a black blood, was named Alexander by Madi’s choosing, which was one of our ways of including Madi in the expansion of our family. When Alex was two, we had a daughter, Delilah, as chosen by Jordan, who was a red blood. We were happy in our family of 6. 

Most of the other people of Harper’s Monty also grew to be happy as new bonds formed or old ones expanded to include members from all our various origins. The exceptions were Spacekru who always seemed to wear an air of discontent. Murphy and Emori had a son, Otan, who suffered with his father’s dislike of following the rules and carried the same aura of smug superiority as his auntie Raven without having the apparent ability about which to feel superior. Bellamy tried to be a good influential uncle, but outside of the hearing of the rest of his family, Otan spoke of them all with the same disrespect they, excepting Bellamy, openly spoke of me. It no longer bothered me but I could see that the distance between us upset Bellamy.

When Ryker and Priyah were last Primes living, and there were no more black bloods in Sanctum, Ryker destroyed all the chips and left to move to us. Raven thought he would move in with her but he wanted to live near to Cillian and me. Ryker and Raven maintained their intimate relationship, but it was not love and Raven became even more vocally bitter when she saw me. I just felt sorry for her, all that potential for love gone.

Octavia and Gabriel came to live with us, too. Well, them and half a dozen children who were as wild as Madi was when we first found each other: they fit right in.

As our town grew, we had to come up with more ideas for staying safe during the eclipse. It was a challenge, but we did have some very clever minds on it and we have managed so far. 

Without the Primes to rule over them, Sanctum fell into chaos and I’m sure you can guess where this story goes. Yep, Spacekru decided to move to Sanctum to help the people move on to a life of discipline and order; ruled by intellect. I doubt they were made welcome. 

“Good riddance” I said as Cillian and I toasted their farewell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had intended to finish this at the point where Clarke said the Cillian saved her life but a very kind reviewer (hello Maria+Tyler) wondered what happened after I finished one of my other stories. I thought that I could set out how I saw things going after I formally finished my story so I hope you like that and don't mind the change in writing styles that denote the difference.


	8. Clarke Chooses Not to Give the Flame to Roan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How would Clarke and Roan negotiate peace if Clarke chose not to give the Flame to Roan? Could Echo finally get her way and be allowed to kill Clarke?

Clarke held the flame, a piece of tech that held the memories of all the previous Commanders, including Lexa: Lexa who Clarke had loved; Lexa who Clarke had witnessed being murdered in her stead; Lexa who was now nothing more than zeros and ones in a microchip and an ideal to live up to in the memories of those who knew her.

Knowing that nothing good can come from holding onto the past Clarke passed the flame to Bellamy “Give this to Raven to see if she can down load its contents then destroy it.”

“Are you sure?” Bellamy asked, knowing how Clarke felt about the late Commander.

“Yes, the time of the Commanders is passed and I don’t want to risk bringing it back in the short time we have left to prepare for Praimfayer. Raven may be able to get something useful from Becca’s memories when checking on ALIE’s assertion.”

Clarke had told Bellamy about the alleged meltdowns of the nuclear reactors as soon as she recovered enough to talk to him without her mother hovering.

“It makes sense” Bellamy said after a few seconds of silence to take in the weight of Clarke’s words, “we were told that the earth wouldn’t be inhabitable for 200 years, maybe this is why they said that and it sort of got lost in the passing of time.”

“I’m sure Roan will be glad that there can be no new nightblood child forced into becoming Commander to usurp him” Bellamy agreed as he pocketed the flame.

“Yeah, come on, we need to find Roan and talk to him about what’s coming.”  
Clarke turned towards her mother, she couldn’t quite think of her as ‘mom’ while feeling the sting of her betrayal across her chest to let her know what she and Bellamy were doing.

“I’m afraid that you might have some difficulties” Kane said, looking very distressed. “I’m afraid I shot him; I don’t know if he is still alive.”

“Dammit!” shouted Clarke, pissed at those who were supposed to be the adults, “we need him alive to keep our alliance or we are all dead.” She didn’t let on that it was possible that they would soon all be dead anyway.

Bellamy, Clarke, Abby and Kane went looking for the king where Kane said that he last saw him. They found Roan, surrounded by Azgeda warriors.

“There they are” growled Echo as she brandished her sword threateningly, “lock them up until we can have a proper trial and execution.”

“Hey! We came here to save him” Clarke shouted as she was seized by her arms. “If he is still breathing we can save him, can you?”

Echo looked at her king and knew that no-one could save him, except, perhaps, Skaikru.  
“Very well, you can save him, but if he dies there will be no protection for you.”

Abby went over to give Roan a quick examination.

“We need some hot water – as much as possible, a healer’s kit, including needle and thread, some clamps and forceps, if possible, the battery from the Rover, a flat raised surface, like a table for him to lay on while I operate and some light” Abby was in her element. “Bellamy, you get the battery; Clarke, you get the healers’ supplies – you’ll know what to improvise.” Abby looked at Echo, judging that she was the one in charge of the warriors, “You arrange for someone to get the table, hot water and light.”

While Echo was bossing around the warriors to provide the items the Skai healer had requested, Bellamy and Clarke ran to get their items, both knowing the significance of their quests.

The Azgedans watched in horror as Abby cut open their king and proceeded to dig around in his body. They refused to help holding the tweezers that were doubling up as clamps when requested which meant that Bellamy had to reach across so that he could hold two at the same time. Kane, eaten up with guilt was not able to assist at all. Clarke was monitoring Roan’s breathing and heart rate.

“Clarke, I need you to line up a direct blood donation as soon as I close him up since he has lost so much blood: get Marcus set up.”

Clarke left her post to prepare Kane’s arm and noted “He’s getting tachy, good call with the battery.”

Abby merely nodded her acknowledgement of Clarke’s words as she carried on stitching up inside the chest cavity of the King.

When the last stitch was made and the blood was flowing from Kane into Roan, Abby took a deep breath. Clarke carried on her monitoring. Suddenly she stopped the blood flow and moved Kane away and reached for the battery.

“What are you doing?” Echo demanded.

“I’m saving his life” Clarke retorted. “His heart has stopped and we need to restart it.”

Echo went to check that Roan’s heart had indeed stopped and declared that he was dead and that it was time for the rats from the sky to pay for their crimes.

“Echo, listen to me” Bellamy exhorted. “We can restart his heart. You know I don’t lie” he shouted as the four were being dragged away.

Echo took a second to think: Bellamy had said that he would come back to her release her when in the mountain, and he did. He didn’t have to, but he returned for her and she left him. 

“Very well, let them try their Skaikru magic; a short delay will make no difference.”

Clarke ran to perform CPR while Abby prepared and tested the battery connections. It took two shocks for Roan’s heart to return to normal rhythm. The Azgedans were now starting to look at the Skaikru with diffidence when Echo confirmed that their king’s heart was indeed beating again.

Although they had performed their part of the bargain, the Skaikru were not allowed to leave until the king woke up. None of the four elected to point out that they didn’t want to leave until they had the chance to talk to Roan.

Abby decided that it would help Roan heal a little faster with a bit more blood so she arranged to transfuse some from Bellamy into the king. Luckily no one asked why they were not transfusing from Clarke since they didn’t think the Azgedans would appreciate seeing the still blackish blood flowing from Clarke into their king.

Roan started to wake up while still connected to Bellamy. Seeing what was happening, Abby quickly ended the transfusion, checking that Bellamy had not lost too much blood.  
The disdain pouring from Echo towards the Skaikru was palpable as she waited for her king to awaken and order the execution of the rats from the sky who brought the horror that was the City of Light on them. Only Bellamy was unaware that part of Echo’s anger was directed at herself since she too, was chipped and had tried to prevent Wanheda and Heda Lexa from getting to the kill switch.

The longer Roan slept, the tighter the tension pulled. Only Clarke was confident that they would all survive the night.

“Tell me, Echo” Clarke started, not letting on to the bite behind her words, “is it usual Grounder practice to renege on agreements? I only ask because your previous Commander did, Ontari broke the rules of the conclave and you want our deaths despite the alliance I have with your king. Not counting the fact that we, Bellamy in particular, were responsible for saving your life from the Mountain, but you repay that by killing nearly 50 of our people; and we have just saved the life of your king, despite you having decided he was dead, yet you still threaten to kill us. Are you disappointed that Roan still lives? Would you have pushed for yourself to take the throne? If that is the case, let me tell you, you don’t have what it takes to be in charge.”

“How dare you accuse me of treason!” Echo was incensed. “I live to serve my king and Azgeda.”

“No you don’t” Clarke insisted. “You constantly try to kill us even when it is the will of your king and it is in the best interest of Azgeda that we live.”

“The City of Light was the fault of Skaikru and so was the resulting suffering” Echo persisted, hoping that Wanheda had not spotted her in the crowd.

“Don’t be a liar, the City of Light, as you well know, was the fault of Becca Praimheda. The discovery by Jaha was at the hand of Grounders in the Dead Zone, and as for the distribution, you took it, why were you so weak? You had to know that it carried the sacred symbol and that it was forbidden but you still took the easy path so stop being a hypocrite and think through your decisions rather than reacting on impulse with only the short term possible benefits in mind” Clarke was scathing.

Before Echo had the opportunity to refute Clarke’s words, “She’s right” was heard from the King, “you don’t look to the future.”

“Roan! Are you okay?” Clarke asked as she ran to look over the Azgedan king who was struggling to sit up.

“Sire! You live!” one of the warriors exclaimed as he went to assist his king to move to reclining.

“I assume you all thought I was dead” Roan said flatly, “but Wanheda decided otherwise” he added with a slight smirk still visible through the pain.

“Don’t try to get up just yet” Clarke implored. “You need to move slowly at first, let your body adjust in its own time to the major surgery you’ve just undergone. We can get you some water to rinse your mouth, but don’t try drinking it just yet or you’ll bring it straight back up and it will hurt the damaged abdominal muscles” Clarke was in her element and the Azgedans were surprised at how cool and calm she appeared under the threat of death.

King Roan took some water to rinse his mouth then lay down again with a grunt.  
“Echo is right, though” he rasped, “the facts are irrelevant when the perception is clearly that this is all Skairu’s fault. There will be many calls for Skaikru to be wiped out and if we can’t come up with another plan that is what I shall have to order or there will be anarchy and the masses will rise up against you and me and none of us will last the week.”

“Well let me give you a good reason as to why you need to come up with another plan” Clarke said and she outlined the reason ALIE said she created the City of Light.  
There was silence as those present digested Clarke’s words.

“Is it true?” Roan asked.

“I honestly don’t know” Clarke replied.

“We survived the last Praimfaya, we could survive this one” Echo stated emphatically. “You should save yourself and lead our people through the next challenge, if” and Echo emphasised her doubt, “Wanheda is telling the truth.”

“Hey, if ALIE told the truth, you won’t survive what’s coming” Clarke was incensed that Echo all but called her a liar. “The last apocalypse was caused by bombs landing on certain places leaving pockets undamaged except by radio-active fallout so you were able to adapt to that. This apocalypse, if what ALIE said is true and it is possible that she only said it in the hopes that it would persuade me not to use the kill switch, will result in the whole Earth being engulfed in fire and nothing will survive. You need Skaikru to one, discover how much of ALIE’s reasoning is true, and two, if there is any truth in her words, try to work out a way to save the human race.”

“I’m not sure I even want to” Abby said quietly. “I think of what we did while under ALIE’s control, what we’ve all done in the name of survival and I don’t think that we even deserve to. I say let us all burn.”

“Abby! You can’t mean that!” Kane exclaimed. “Think about Clarke and the other children, they deserve to live and we owe it to them to give them that chance.”

“Don’t worry, Kane, mom has already made it more than clear that since she had me locked up in solitary and sent me down to die that I have been nothing but a disappointment to her so while she may feel that innocent children who have never had the opportunity to do something right or wrong deserve the chance to live, she will not worry about me not living” Clarke was still bitter that her mom felt that she had the right to stand in judgement of Clarke for actions that she did to save her people when the so called adults of the Arc gave them nothing to enable them to do anything other than fight, and fight dirty, to survive.

Abby just stared at the ground unable to refute Clarke’s words.

The Azgedans stared at Abby unable to understand how a parent could be anything other than proud to have a child like Wanheda.

“Where’s Ontari?” Roan asked.

“Dead” Clarke was blunt. “We tried to save her since we thought a nightblood had to take the Flame and we couldn’t think of any other way to get into the City of Light to destroy it, but it wasn’t possible so I had to take it with the chip. That’s why I was there with Lexa and ALIE.”

“You had the Flame?” Roan was incredulous.

“There was no other option” Clarke explained. “ALIE wanted the Flame since it was an upgraded version of her programme and the chips and we couldn’t let her get it. Someone had to take the chip and go into the City of Light without having ALIE take control of their mind which meant they also had to take the Flame.”

“Where is the Flame now?” Roan asked.

“Gone” Clarke lied without a qualm. “The close link between the chips and the Flame meant they both went at the same time when the City of Light was shut down.”

“Let me see your blood” Echo demanded.

Clarke, thinking it could go either way if her blood was still running dark, took a knife and cut her arm.

“Not red, but not black” one of the Azgendan warriors said wonderingly.

“I think that since I am a red blood, and somehow the Commanders knew that the Flame was needed that they were able to temporarily tell my body to do something to change my blood, and now that the Flame is gone, so is the instruction to my body and the red will be total soon.” Clarke was surprised that no one who was in the Throne Room and knew to the contrary was calling her out on her lie. Perhaps they, too, thought that it best that the Flame be no more and didn’t want the Azgedans to know how they had desecrated Ontari’s body.

Roan appeared to be in deep thought. He then took a deep breath and addressed Echo. “I need to give this some more thought, but I need to know that I can trust that you will carry out my orders no matter how much you disagree with them.”

“I will obey you Sire, even if you order me to protect Wanheda with my life” Echo was emphatic.

“It may come to that” Roan was wry, “but for now I want you to go out and do what you can to bring order to the City, helping all who need it and keep all Skaikru safe. Healer Griffin, will you go and assist the injured?”

“Yes, of course” Abby said.

“Good, everyone, until we have more information, keep everything Wanheda said to yourself. Until we know what we’re up against we should not let it get out. That is a direct order. Go everyone, help who you can while I talk to Wanheda and Bellamy.”

Echo seemed reluctant to leave her King alone with two Skaikru, but a raised brow from Roan had her bowing slightly while giving Clarke the evils, ignoring Bellamy’s presence completely.

“Tell me truthfully, Wanheda, what do you really believe about this threat” Roan growled.

“Truthfully, I don’t believe anything” Clarke started, sounding resigned. “I can tell you what I think and why but as of this moment, I neither believe nor disbelieve ALIE’s warning.”

“Go ahead, speak your thoughts” Roan ordered.

“We were always told that the Earth would not be survivable for 200 years and now it is survivable for us after 97 years. Maybe they realised that the nuclear mega plants would blow after 100 years, or maybe they didn’t and they were just wrong. The theory behind the mega plants blowing is logical and completely believable since the bombs were released so quickly so it definitely possible that there was not sufficient time to shut them down safely and permanently and if that was the case then there would definitely be some form radioactive fallout, I just don’t know enough to know what the fallout would be. ALIE said that the air would not be breathable for five years; it is possible that she was correct but that it would take decades for the soil to grow plants, for insects to multiply and I have no idea if other mammals could find hiding places, deep in caves for example, to ride out the worse of it and again adapt to the higher levels of radiation. If Mount Weather was built to withstand the apocalypse and house people for decades, it is probable that there are other similar bunkers and we would need to find them. You need Skaikru to find the truth behind ALIE’s words and if necessary, a solution.”

Bellamy, who had until that point remained silent, just said “I agree”.

Roan grunted his acknowledgment of Bellamy’s words and engaged in some private thinking, planning, Clarke did not know which, but she did know that he was not silently mourning the loss of Ontari.

“I have an idea to buy us the time for you to discover the truth but it will entail sacrifice by both of you. I need to know that you two will stand by my side and do everything I say and it may, just, save all our lives, whether we deserve to live or not. I swear to adhere to the vows that we make and will do my best to protect all people. Will you two so swear?”

“Of-course we will do whatever necessary to secure peace” Clarke replied for both of them.

“I need you, too, Bellomi kom Skaikru, to give your word” Roan persisted.

“If it is necessary I promise I will give my life to secure peace for my people” Bellamy replied.

“Good. If your Heda, or whatever you call him, and Echo do not return within an hour, bring them to me. In the meantime, I shall rest while you two keep everyone else out” and Roan closed his eyes, clearly in extreme pain.

Clarke and Bellamy moved to the other side of the room to talk while Roan rested.

“What do you think his plan is?” Bellamy asked. “You don’t think it will be the public death by a thousand cuts for the pair of us, do you?”

“I doubt it, he did say that he would adhere to vows too so I have a feeling that marriage is involved, but why that would include the both of us, I don’t know. At least life on the ground is never dull, but I sure could use a bit of boredom” Clarke finished soulfully.

“Me too, Princess; me too” Bellamy agreed.

“You cannot be serious and expect us to go through with this” Bellamy couldn’t decide if he was more indignant on his own behalf or Clarke’s.

“You did say you would give your life for peace, was that not true?” Roan was snide.

“How exactly would such a marriage work?” Kane asked before Bellamy could retort with what Kane was sure would a scathing indictment of the Grounder culture.

“Clarke and I would marry and Clarke be my second and all that entails” Roan explained again. “Echo and Bellamy would marry each other and, for want of a better phrase, be joint thirds, each would be given specific areas to oversee and would report to both Clarke and myself. They as a couple would also marry Clarke and I as a couple so that their loyalty to both of us could not be called into question. Here on the ground, there is no greater loyalty than to one’s chosen, especially if it is across clans via a spouse. I did think of including a Trikru, but Octavia and Indra could take care of that as a relative by marriage through Bellamy.”

“So the four of us would be in some sort of polyamorous marriage?” Clarke wanted clarified.

“Yes, except the only children you could bear would have to be mine. If you were to bear Bellamy’s child then it would have to be given to Echo and Bellamy to be the parents and you would be no more than an Aunt.”

“And what if Echo was to bear your child?” Clarke was a little snide.

“I cannot have children. When I turned 16 summers the healers carried out a procedure to ensure that I did not bleed while on missions. It also means that I will never have children. It is a common occurrence with female warriors in Azgeda” Echo was nonchalant. 

“What about fidelity or the prospect of divorce?” Kane asked.

“There will be the four of us and we can have lovers only between the four of us; there will be no others in our marriages, unless we all agree to bring them in as fourths, but who of high enough rank to be fit to join would want to do that? And what is this divorce?” Roan was sceptical.

“When people who are married do not wish to be married any longer they are divorced and the marriage is terminated” Kane explained.

“There is no divorce. Only death can end a marriage, and to kill one’s spouse is a crime beyond dishonourable. If you are not prepared to keep your word given by vow, then do not give it” Roan was scathing of Skaikru’s ways.

“Bell, there are worse things that could be asked of us” Clarke said. “We could still be together as friends, and perhaps add some benefits when our spouses are away and let’s face it, you could do worse than have to spend time with Echo between the sheets” she added with a smirk.

Bellamy looked at Clarke in astonishment, saw her resigned humour; then looked at Echo’s unconcealed chagrin and nodded his head in agreement.

Clarke didn’t say anything, in case she was wrong, but she rather thought Raven might enjoy the benefits of being the fourth highest ranking person in the coalition, not to mention the benefits of having a choice of lovers from some not unattractive, and, no doubt, quite experienced people, as she imagined what the Azgedans did during their long cold winters, and no one could say that Raven’s knowledge did not make her acceptable!  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea how many times Echo has wanted to kill Clarke in canon and I really wish that Clarke could call her out on it. I admit I am a bit of a Roarke shipper so I do enjoy stories with the pair of them ending up together, although the ending to this one has been floating around in my mind for a while now just waiting for a story to attach itself to!


	9. Blodreina Chooses to Challenge Wanheda for Control of Wonkru and Eden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke doesn't like how Octavia is leading Wonkru now that the bunker is opened, and Octavia doesn't like how Clarke challenges her decisions. Something has got to give!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really thought that once Clarke realised how committed Octavia was to fight for Eden she would grab Madi and get the hell away from Blodreina and her reign of terror (Miller scared the living daylights out of me sometimes). I wanted Clarke to do something to save the people of Wonkru that did not include her killing Kara Cooper so I decided to come up with another plan. This is it.

Clarke could not believe the extremes that Octavia, Blodreina, would go to to keep control of Wonkru and to try to take control of Shallow Valley. Clarke used the word ‘try’ because there was no way she could see that Octavia would win. The Elgius ship had weapons that could not only decimate Wonkru, but utterly destroy it. But still Blodreina persisted with her plans.

The latest plan to send some worms to kill all the people there, including Abby, Marcus, Raven, Echo, Emori and Murphy was just so far away from being a good plan that Clarke could no longer contain her feelings.

“You do this, Octavia, and you run the risk of not only killing every human in Shallow Valley, but also every mammal and making it unfit for human habitation for a very long time” Clarke’s voice was raised loud enough to attract attention. “What is the point on winning when the end result is that we all die anyway?”

Octavia could tell by looking at the faces of her people that she could not just have Clarke executed without causing even more dissent, as much as she would love to get rid of that particular fly. But there was a way whereby no one would question Clarke’s death if it was done in the old fashioned way. Octavia smirked.

“Do you, Wanheda, question how I rule my people?” Octavia spoke, loudly and clearly. “Do you think that you, the Commander of Death, could do a better job at keeping my people alive?”

“At the moment I think that Murphy could do a better job than you at keeping your people alive and he’s not even here” Clarke replied, making sure that her disdain was heard by all. Clarke knew where Octavia was taking this discussion; it was obvious by the bloodthirsty glee in her usually dead looking eyes.

Both Clarke and Octavia ignored Bellamy’s attempts to break up their discussion. 

“Since you are so sure that you would be a better leader, I challenge you to solo gonplei! In the pit, now!” Blodreina shouted, so sure of her ability to win.

There were raucous cheers and shouts of encouragement from the various faces of Wonkru. Clarke could tell that some were worried about the outcome: were they worried that Clarke would win, or rather that she would lose? Most of Wonkru appeared to have grown into enjoying the bloodthirsty entertainment that was offered by the fighting pit. Clarke shuddered at the idea of how hard it was going to be to cool the hot blood so that they could live with the Elgius prisoners.

“I, Wanheda Clarke kom Skaikru accept your challenge, Blodreina Octavia kom Wonkru; however, I will not kill you, there has been too much death in that pit already, but I will defeat you” Clarke finished grimly to the shock of all as they digested her certainty.

The guards, led by Miller who was looking at Octavia like she was a goddess, pushed Bellamy back as they escorted the two combatants to the fighting pit. Clarke looked around at the weapons that were on the fence, selecting one that she would take immediately, and one that she would grab at the earliest opportunity once the fight had begun.

“You think that puny thing will stand up against the strength that is my sword?” Octavia snorted as Clarke took down and felt the weight of a thin, quite short blade. “Maybe what you are looking for is a quick death; don’t worry, I’ll try to resist the temptation to drag it out for too long.”

“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that” Clarke goaded as she cast a careful eye over Octavia. Clarke could tell that there was still a little residual weakness in Octavia’s left arm from the worm, which would be where Clarke would strike first even though Octavia was right handed, but it was really Octavia’s arrogant surety that was going to be her downfall. Clarke stood close to the centre of the pit, facing the end of the grip of the other weapon she wanted and waited.

Octavia was surprised at the ease by which Clarke held her blade. Clarke was not stupid and she had to know that the thin blade would snap from the force of Octavia’s broader, stronger sword; didn’t she? If Clarke did know, she had to have a plan. As far as Octavia knew Clarke had never engaged in one on one combat before, so why was she so serene? Octavia began to circle Clarke, who just turned where she stood to watch Octavia who was doing exactly what Clarke predicted.

As soon as Octavia was facing the weapon Clarke wanted, Clarke made a quick movement as if to attack causing Octavia to come at Clarke. Expecting the move, Clarke stepped to her right, slashing at Octavia’s injured arm and danced out of the reach of Octavia’s sword.

The crowd went silent when the first blood went to Clarke. Octavia looked shocked. Somehow she was the one hit while there were no marks on Clarke. Thinking that it had to be a fluke, Octavia went in to attack again, forgetting that her balance would be slightly off due to the practically dead arm.

As Octavia predicted, her sword broke the flimsy blade that Clarke was using. Thinking that the fight would soon be over, Octavia raised her sword with a flourish, too high to be effective on a trained fighter, and went in for the kill. Clarke took advantage of Octavia’s dramatics and launched herself at Octavia’s knees and stabbed her sword holding wrist. While Octavia was recovering, Clarke grabbed the weapon she wanted and turned to face her opposition.

“Still think you can win, Octavia?” Clarke taunted. “You have two seriously injured arms, badly bruised legs, a sword that is too heavy for you, and I’m barely even breathing heavy, and am holding two weapons. I admit, I thought you would be better than this. How the hell did you manage to win the conclave? Were you on something?”

“I can still beat you” Octavia insisted; “although I admit you are better than I thought you would be. Who taught you?”

“Did you forget that I had the flame? I had all the Past Commanders teaching me how to fight while I was fighting with Lexa by my side in the City of Light. For the past six years I have had little else to do but to remember their lessons. Kata used to like the rapier, she also encouraged me to use dance moves for fluidity. You are weak, I am healthy. You cannot defeat me, surrender now so that you can be healed” Clarke encouraged, knowing that it would have the opposite effect.

“I am not weak!” Octavia shouted. “I will never surrender!” and Octavia charged at Clarke.

Using the weapon that she had just taken from the wall as a shield to defend against the power of Octavia’s sword, Clarke was easily able to use the hilt of her broken blade to hit Octavia in the temple to knock her out. Clarke took Octavia’s sword, throwing it to the side, and stripped the leather tie from her own waist, cut it in two to use as a tourniquet on both of Octavia’s arms. Seeing that Octavia was about to stir, Clarke flipped her over onto her front, sat on her back and lifted head by her hair. Holding her broken blade against Octavia’s carotid, Clarke called out “Flame Keeper, do you agree that I have won this contest and the right to lead Wonkru?”

Sounding so forlorn that it was a wonder that her words could be heard Gaia said “Yes, Wanheda; you have won the contest and the right to lead Wonkru.”

Clarke released her old on Octavia and stepped away, while keeping her eye on the defeated warrior, just in case. “Good, Miller, come and take Octavia to Jackson for treatment.” Clarke watched carefully as Miller came to lift Octavia to remove her from the pit. The look in Miller’s eyes gave Clarke cause for concern and she vowed to make sure that Miller was disarmed as soon as possible.

“Now, before I officially start to lead, is there anyone else here who would like to challenge me? Come on, speak up because if you challenge me fairly I will go easy on you, but if anyone were to try to ambush me, or stab me in the back I will show no mercy. Is there any among you who would like to challenge me for the leadership of Wonkru? This is your final chance. No, right. From now on, all guns are to be locked away” Clarke thought it odd that such a pronouncement would receive cheers, but then the Grounders had always despised them, but she had not finished her sentence so she lifted her voice “unless I personally authorise someone to hold one. Currently, no one is so authorised.” 

Clarke looked at one of Octavia’s former guards and instructed him to collect all the guns and make sure they are locked somewhere safe, particularly to make sure that Miller was disarmed. “Take someone with you if you think it might be safer. You are responsible for the safety of the guns; keep the ammunition separate. Come and see me once you have done what you can quickly and we can discuss what to do about them next.” A nod of agreement was received as two guards left.

“My second pronouncement is that I want everyone to address me as Clarke. I want no other name or title.” It was surprising to Clarke that there seemed to be some mutterings of discontent at that pronouncement. “I can only be as high as my people so I should be named only as high as my people.”

“Bellamy” Clarke called, “I want you to visit your sister and then grab Kara for you to oversee her destroying all the worm eggs. Talk to try to find a way to minimise the risk to both, but if there is to be any risk, she is the one to take it; that is a request that should be taken as an instruction, please.” Clarke saw the nod of approval from Bellamy, and the glare of acceptance from Kara.

“I want you all to remember that although I am now your leader, Octavia is still your hero. She offered you the chance to survive praimfaya, kept you alive through the dark years so that you are now here for me to lead through to the light. Octavia will be treated with the respect her strength, compassion and determination deserve.

“Finally, for now life carries on as it has, you do your work, you enjoy your time off. When I have more to announce, I shall do so. Indra, with me, please.” 

Indra walked up to Clarke clearly confused as to what was happening. “Why did you not fight for Skaikru in the conclave?” was what Indra led with.

“Because I didn’t, and don’t approve of a conclave to make such important decisions. I wanted to do as Octavia did but without the fight. Some very good people were lost because of that. I want reason and logic to be the factors that decide things for us, not who is the last one standing in a fight.” Clarke remembered Roan, in particular; someone who she missed still.

“Indra, tomorrow I want everyone in the pit for a short time with some water and a cloth cleaning the blood. I want us to remember those who lost their lives, both to praimfaya and in the pit fights as we clean. Do you think that will stir any unrest?” Clarke asked.

“No, if you are seen here for some, and other senior people take part then it will be seen as a good thing, especially if you can announce what and why as you begin the process.”

“Good. First, though, is there a smith in here?” Clarke asked.

“Yes, I believe there is one. I do not know how good he is since he is not former Trikru, but I think he may be the only one left.”

Clarke thought it very sad that the former clans did not look to the future of what the world would need and stock the bunker with skilled workers rather than make it top heavy with warriors. But … “I expect the short notice meant that it was difficult make balanced choices for places” Clarke tried to be tactful. “Please, before tomorrow, can you get the smith to remove all the weapons from the pit walls and place them on the floor. I want him to inspect them and then come to see me. I need to talk with him about the weapons I shall need him to craft for me. Also, at some point, soon, I need an outline of who we have, mainly by skillsets, particularly specialists. We cannot win a fight against Elgius, so we have to co-exist. We need the earth to recover, so we have to work together. I shall talk to the Elgius leader and let her know that I am now in charge and make sure she knows that she needs us. Are you willing to be my deputy?”

Indra seemed taken aback at the question but agreed. “Thank you, I need someone I can trust who knows the people here. Also, I want you to select a team of three to five who can represent as many people as possible who you trust to be your top management: they report to you, you report to me; at least until we have organised our future and we can think again then.”

“I am not sure who I should ask. If I may, I will think on it today and let you know tomorrow who I would recommend and why?” Indra seemed determined that it was Clarke who would make the decisions, even if it was via recommendations! “Clarke, did the past Commanders really teach you to fight while you were in the City of Light? I only ask because you seemed to be very good for someone taught for so short a period of time.”

I pondered on how to answer and decided to go with the truth. “Lexa began teaching me when it was clear that many wanted to kill me for the power of Wanheda so there was a base from where they could work. Roan also tried to teach me a few times, but his lessons really just brought to the front of my consciousness the lessons that the Commanders had taught me that were residing in the back of my mind. I don’t have the strength for a long drawn out fight, but I have the ability to read my opponents and make quick calculated decisions. My instinct will always be to defend first but I know exactly where the physical weaknesses are in a body and I can work out a way to get to them.

Clarke went to the radio room where she found Madi bursting with excitement about how she quickly defeated Blodreina without so much as a scratch on her. Clarke didn’t like to disillusion the child so she didn’t tell Madi about the bruise on her back that so easily could have been a fatal gash if Octavia had angled her sword differently, or quickly enough; nor about the aching muscles in her arms.

Clarke grabbed the radio and contacted Diyoza.

“Clarke, how nice to hear from you” Diyoza oozed hypocritical charm. “Did you call to offer unconditional surrender?”

Clarke snorted. “No, but I did call to say that I have now ousted Octavia and am now in charge and am happy to enter into negotiations with you about such things as medical facilities, including doctors who are not drug addicts, farmers, hunters, you know, the sorts of things you will need if you want to survive on earth let alone thrive. Appropos that, I do hope you are treating my people well. You see, one of them is the smartest person left on earth and if something needs to be built, mended or invented, we’re going to need her to do it – unless any of your cryogenically frozen people are geniuses? And I’ve forgotten, but how many women are with you?”

The silence from the other end was most telling. “You’ve made your point, Clarke” Diyoza sounded a little defeated. “What exactly is it you want?”

“Would you mind if I called you Dee? Now that we’re going to be working together we should be a little more informal but Charmaine is such a girly name and one thing I’m sure about you is that you are not girly; but I digress, at the moment I just want all my people who are in your care looked after well. Raven in particular is an asset that we really don’t want to piss off so take off their shock collars and give them freedom of movement. If you want something from them, ask, and offer something in exchange, don’t abuse them. Tomorrow I need to start the healing with Wonkru, but I shall call you around sundown when I’ll have more information about my peoples’ skills and perhaps more importantly, their attitude to working with others. It would be helpful if you could find out what skills your people have, including the ones on the home ship. If I could, I should also like to talk to my mother then and we can discuss the medical side and consider next steps on that front. The other doctor here will be with me for that discussion. I’ll call back tomorrow morning to speak with Raven and Echo so you might want to give them a radio. I have no objection to you listening in to any of our conversations, something I know you would do anyway; or at least I would if I were in your position.” 

Clarke wanted to be sure that Diyoza knew that they were dealing with each other as equals, neither one was superior to the other. Each had something the other needed and they had to work together if they wanted to thrive on what was left of the earth.

Charmain Diyoza took a moment to reflect on how it all might have gone a little better if she had talked to Clarke when they first met rather than interrogated her. But then, she thought, it could have been a whole lot worse if they had managed to harm the kid, something that she really wouldn’t have been happy about. Diyoza then went to explain to her guests the new order of things, especially as to how it pertained to them and their welfare.

“You may not believe me” Kane said, “but I think you and Clarke working together is going to be the best thing to happen on earth for a very long time. With the two of you in charge, miracles can occur.”

Diyoza gently rubbed her swelling tummy and thought ‘what a sap’ with a small smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story assumes that someone would have taken great pleasure in telling Clarke that her mother was a drug addict and that there were not many (child bearing) females among the Elgius prisoners. Although Clarke did not know that Diyoza was pregnant at that point, I think she would assume that Diyoza would want to settle and build a future for her people and that Diyoza was smart enough to know that she would need the help of Wonkru for the long term good of her people.  
Let me know if you think I'm wrong - I'm very happy to read about contradictory thoughts.


	10. Clarke Chooses Not to Hike to Mt Weather When Dropship Lands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dropship with the 100 delinquents, plus Bellamy, minus the two who died when hitting atmosphere, has landed on earth. Clarke searches for any supplies that might have been sent with them. When she finds nothing, she comes to the conclusion that they were sent to earth to die. Clarke decides that she is not going to die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is so long that I'm posting it in two parts. I have yet to write the second part so I don't know when I'll be able to post it.  
I've tried to be as canonish as possible so some elements are as per the series, others are so not canon. I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Clarke Griffin wandered out to marvel at the beauty of the earth. Something that she had thought she would never get to do in real life. She itched to have some crayons and paper to try to capture the majesty of the colour of the earth, something that she had only been able to do in shades of grey in the past.

Clarke looked around and realised that no one was apparently getting sick or suffering from the radiation: the air smelled cool and fresh and she hoped that the gifts of the forest would taste as good as the forest looked.

‘The forest’ Clarke thought. ‘We were supposed to be on a mountain not in the middle of a forest’ and Clarke looked around, seeing the mountains in the distance. They had settled on a hill, but it was most definitely not a mountain.

Clarke went back into the drop ship to search for supplies, ignoring the presence of the traitor Wells as he tried to get her attention. It was starting to get difficult to think with him constantly talking to her, but she would not give him the satisfaction of breaking her silence. Wells needed to learn that if one wanted to, it was easy to keep your mouth shut, despite how tempting it could be to talk.

“There is nothing” Clarke said with exasperation. “How could they have sent us here with nothing?”

“There’s supplies in Mt Weather” Wells answered Clarke’s question either not realising or not caring that she was talking rhetorically. “We just have to find our way to Mt Weather” Wells persisted.

Clarke looked around and thought that even if the closest mountain was Mt Weather they were an awfully long way away, and what if there were no supplies there? It was stupid to assume that none of the survivors of the initial blasts didn’t try to use what supplies they could get hold of once their food sources died out so that starvation didn’t kill them before radiation poisoning. Or that the bunker was not weakened by the blasts that hit Washington DC and it could have caved in. Really pathetic to be so sure that there were things in there that were available for them to use to survive.

Clarke went outside and climbed on top of the ship grateful that boredom during her time in solitary had led to some outrageous exercise routines. She could see a lake that she could walk to for water that wasn’t too far away. Hopefully on the hike she would at least find some nuts or berries to eat to give her time to think and make a plan on what to do next.

Wells who had followed Clarke up to the top of the ship looked over at where some panels had come off. “That’s why the radio is dead” he said indicating the open area.

Clarke thought that the radio probably wouldn’t have worked anyway. She walked to the edge of the ship and looked down at all the other delinquents messing about, enjoying the sheer pleasure of being alive: except for a few who were cowering away from some very rowdy boys.

“Hey, look, it’s the Prince and Princess of the ARC” the older boy/man said with a smirk. “Hope you don’t think that you’re surveying your subjects ‘coz we’re not on the ARC anymore and we can do whatever the hell we want now!”

There were some rousing cheers from some of the other delinquents, but Clarke ignored them and chose to resonate her voice to carry over them. “If we’re the Prince and Princess it must make you the court jester” which earned a few snickers of amusement. “No, I want to ask if anyone knows where on the ship there are any supplies, even rations for our first meal?” 

This time there were grumbles of discontent and everyone shook their heads.

“Does anyone know of any tents or something for shelter?”

Once more the grumbles were of discontent.

“We don’t need that” Wells tried to say. “We just need to get to Mt Weather like my father told us.”

If she didn’t hate Wells so much, Clarke would almost feel sorry for him. How could he possibly think that these people would want to do what they were told to by the Chancellor?

Clarke ignored the interruption from Wells and the expected response from the people. “I think, no, I know we were sent here to die” Clarke declared. “If the radiation doesn’t kill us, and so far it looks like it won’t, then the Council intend that we either die of dehydration, starvation or hypothermia since we have no food and no way of getting any because Mt Weather, even if it does have some after all this time, is miles away since they landed us in the wrong place and no canteens or anything to hold water, nor anything to allow us to make shelter from the elements. Since there’s no med supplies either, not even a simple suture kit, accidents are likely to lead to slow and potentially painful death. I have no doubt that no matter what the Chancellor said about forgiving us our crimes, such an easy thing for him to offer not expecting us to be here when they come down, we are here to die one way or another.”

This time the mutterings were of a little bit of apprehension as well as discontent.

“Now you lot can carry on doing ‘whatever the hell you want’ but I’m going to find a way to really piss off the Council and make damn sure that I don’t die and I’ll give them no excuse to accidently shoot me when they do get here.”

This time Clarke earned some cheers as she climbed down from the ship and went to look for things that could come in useful: all the while ignoring Wells who was persistently trying to talk to Clarke into going with him to Mt Weather.

In the drop ship Clarke found some hollowed poles that had come loose from something. One of them had a sharp end that made Clarke think it could be used as a spear if necessary. The other wasn’t very long but … . Clarke tore the backing from one of the seats and pulled some wire from one of the walls. She had no idea what she was dismantling but she didn’t care. Using the wire, pole and seat back cover Clarke was able to fashion a very crude fishing net. Clarke then jumped on the seat to break it down so that she would have something she could use as a grill over a fire to cook the fish she caught. Using her pockets to their maximum capacity Clarke stuffed everything she thought might be useful in them. Grabbing her bag and new spear and fishing pole, Clarke left the drop ship site and headed to where the parachutes were to take some of the material and the rope by which they were attached to the ship. Some fragments of metal were the nearest thing she could find to a knife, spoon, plate and a cup: they would have to do. Pushing her utensils, the fishing net, chute and rope into her bag she set off towards the lake

“Where are you going, Princess” the older boy asked; cockily sure of himself surrounded by a gang of four other boys.

“Jester, I’m off to do whatever the hell I want, which is get to a water source so that I have something to drink. What are you going to do?”

“Why should we let you wander off with supplies from our ship?” the Jester asked.

“If you want to be technical about it, I am entitled to one one hundredth of that ship and since I am carrying a lot less than that I would think you would be glad to let me go with no fuss.”

The Jester thought about it and nodded to Clarke to leave “Just know that once you leave you can’t come back” he smirked, “although it would be fun to see the Princess come crawling, begging for forgiveness and asking to join back up with us” he laughed.

Clarke just raised a haughty brow and wondered if he had taken something to cause such delusions. She had told them what she was going to do to survive and it was up to them if they wanted to follow suit or die through sheer stupidity. Clarke walked away to the sound of Wells arguing to get a party together to head for Mt Weather. Clarke snorted at such naïve idiocy.

Clarke enjoyed snacking on some berries and nuts that she found, saw some rabbits and squirrels and wondered if she could work out how to set a trap or snare. Putting it to the back of her mind as something for another day, since she knew she could live off the fruits of the forest in the short term Clarke thought about her immediate priorities.

First, Clarke knew she had to reach water, and hope that it was drinkable since she had no way of purifying it. Once Clarke reached the lake she took stock of her surroundings: she could see a stream that fed the lake that was probably better for drinking than the lake itself so she made her way closer to the stream; there were some quite large stones that could be used to make a fire pit; the forest had plenty of wood she could burn and use to make a shelter. For the time being, Clarke was golden.

Using her hands to cup some water to drink Clarke planned the next few days. Although it was warm enough at the moment, and not raining, Clarke knew that she could not rely on those conditions continuing for much longer: it was autumn and the nights would get cold and weather would turn wet so a fire and a waterproof shelter were priorities.

It took Clarke six attempts to start the fire, which greatly ate into her ‘building a shelter’ time. She did, however, find a sharp stone that she could use for cutting, nothing fine, but it was better than nothing and she should be able to use other stones to sharpen some of the pieces of metal for finer work. The shelter was very basic with lots of holes that Clarke hoped she would have time to fill in before it started to rain. Sleeping on the ground wasn’t too comfortable, but being wrapped up in the parachute material kept Clarke warm. Clarke’s biggest worry was toileting when winter arrived.

Clarke woke to a glorious sun rise. Feeling the hope swell within her, she got up and began her ablutions using the lake as a giant freezing cold bath tub. Clarke rinsed out her previous day’s socks and underwear as best she could with just water and hung them on low lying branches to dry. Next she topped up the fire and resolved to do her best to not let it go out. More berries and nuts were next on the agenda. But she also found some wild vegetables that she knew she could grill to give more sustenance. Knowing she had enough food for two or three days meant that Clarke was happier than she had been since her father was floated. Having been in solitary for 13 months she was used to her own company, and now she had food, freedom and an ever changing vista that she could look at to her heart’s content.

After three days Clarke had a small shelter to sleep in that she was reasonably sure was waterproof in which she had attached a line to hang her washing to dry, a shelter to keep wood dry for when it rained, and a mobile shelter that she could move to cover different holes in the ground which she could use as a toilet. It offered privacy just in case any of the other delinquents came her way and some protection from the elements.

Clarke was always very careful in the lake and had only tried fishing in the stream that fed the lake. She could not swim so could only stay at the edge of the lake, but she could also see that there was some large creature that hovered just outside of her comfort zone, perhaps waiting for her courage or inattention to allow her to move into deeper water and thus be easy prey. Clarke was smarter than that and was instead working out how she could catch it instead of it catching her!

After a further two days Clarke’s morning was interrupted with the arrival of seven delinquents: four girls, one of whom couldn’t possibly have been any older than 13, and three boys, one wearing goggles, and another being the one to encourage the other two boys to float to their deaths on the dropship.

“Can we stay with you?” one of the older girls asked. “It’s awful there and we don’t feel safe.”

“Yeah, we left yesterday morning and Finn found your tracks late afternoon so we started to follow” another offered.

“We brought our bags and as much stuff as we could carry” offered the third.

“I know where to find food and I know that red water weed is medicinal” said the Asian boy.

“And I can set a snare to catch some meat” offered Floater.

“And I’ll do whatever you tell me to” offered Goggles.

Clarke thought for a moment. She was happy on her own, but a bit of company might be nice. “Okay, first unload all your stuff and we’ll start on building more shelters, but I need to know what to call you” and everyone was introduced.

Everything they brought with them was disgustingly dirty, as were they. Clarke took one set of all their clothes, stripped to her underwear and washed their clothes in the lake.

“You are all as dirty as your clothes so I’ll get this lot clean and dry for tomorrow. You can wash yourselves and the rest of your clothes in the morning. I tend to wash myself, socks and underwear every day, the rest only when they’re disgusting” Clarke said.

“That sounds reasonable” Harper said.

“How about we build one shelter for the boys, one for you three girls and Charlotte shares with me?” Clarke suggested. It would be a tight squeeze but with winter coming the extra body warmth would be welcome.

Everyone went out looking for food. Finn, the floater, set a couple of snares not too far from their camp that he said he would check before nightfall and again first thing in the morning. They collected lots of nuts that would keep and plenty of fruits and berries that Jasper said he knew how to dry so they could keep them for winter. Clarke thought that having them stay was a good idea. Now if only they can work out how to get rid of the sea monster.

The afternoon was spent building two more shelters to sleep.

“Why aren’t you sleeping in that cave?” Jasper asked. “Is it full of animals, or too small?”

“What cave?” Clarke asked looking around.

“That one” Jasper pointed to a small opening in the cliff, not too high up that Clarke would never have thought of as a cave.

“It looks too small to be called a cave” Fox said.

“Nah, you have no imagination” Jasper said. “Look at how the rock curves from the top lip. Come on guys, let’s investigate.”

Jasper’s enthusiasm was contagious and they went to examine the opening in the rock face. Finn took a lit branch to act as a torch so that they might see. Despite the encouragement, Charlotte refused to be the first one to climb in. Jasper just laughed and pulled himself through the small opening. He reached out a hand for the torch.

“Hey guys, you have got to come and see this” Jasper said.

They all pulled themselves into what was definitely a cave. It was big enough for them all to sleep in but not much else. There was no way they could have a fire, though, but even so, it might be warmer than their current camp especially if heavy rain put out their fire.

“We could plan to sleep here in winter, but try to live outside” Clarke suggested. “Maybe next spring build bigger shelters that could be general living quarters, try to work out a way to have a fire indoors?”

“As long as that cave is not some bear’s hibernation spot, sounds like a plan” Monty agreed. “We can make a door or shutter so that more of the cold is kept out.”

Plans were made to enhance their living quarters both outside and inside the cave. They realised life would be a lot better if they could get a sheet of metal to make a chimney so they could light a fire in the cave when it got really cold.

“We could try and take a panel from the dropship one night” Jasper suggested half heartedly.

“Not worth the risk if Bellamy or his cronies caught us” Harper replied.

“I know where there is a bunker that has a bed and some blankets that we could put in the cave. There’s also a chair that we can put in our living room. If we keep an eye out for others, we might find more, or we can make more over time” Finn said.

Clarke wondered why the hell Finn didn’t say anything about the bunker straight away, but it was better late than never. The bed couldn’t be moved, but they brought over the mattress, some blankets, a few items of clothing, cooking and eating utensils, some candles and a lighter, and a rickety chair and table. As far as Clarke was concerned, though, the best thing they found was a comprehensive first aid box. There were also some luxuries: delicate, faded books; some crayons, a pack of cards and a couple of board games.

“Now that we actually have something to use to drink out of, perhaps you can get the still up and running, Monty” Clarke suggested. “It would also be helpful to have some on standby to disinfect any injuries, and the first aid equipment. We’ve been lucky, so far, and we can’t expect that to continue.”

When all the girls were bathing in the lake, Clarke noticed that none were wearing their wrist bands.

“Bellamy made us all take them off” Harper said. “He said that if the ARC thought we all died then they wouldn’t come down and try to take us over, put us back prison, stuff like that.”

“Yeah, it only took him roughing up two for everyone else to cave in” agreed Fox.

“What about Wells?” Clarke couldn’t believe that Wells would have given in; he knew what was at stake.

“He set off for Mt Weather just after you left. He still had his band on then. He hadn’t returned by the time we left” Zoe said. “What does it matter?”

“The ARC is running out of oxygen. If they don’t know that the earth is survivable then they won’t come down and they will start population reduction until eventually everyone is dead. Not quite true, I think dad said that they could sustain a steady population of around one to two hundred. Three guesses as to where the 100 to stay alive will come from if they don’t come down here” Clarke was bitter.

Bellamy Blake might just have condemned over two thousand people to death, all because he didn’t want to face the consequences of sneaking onto the drop ship.

The rabbits they caught were welcomed, both for the tasty meat and for the fur. They knew it would take a lot of dead rabbits to produce enough fur for them all to have a warm blanket, but they were hopeful that they could get better. Harper made a spear and practiced throwing it for a day before she decided she was proficient enough to try to catch a deer. Finn went to assist with tracking. Fox and Zoe made bets with Jasper and Monty as to the likelihood of success. Clarke didn’t want to appear unsupportive, but she did think that Harper was not likely to be successful on her first attempt.

They dined on deer that evening. Jasper had the mad idea of using the deer’s legs as bait to try to encourage the water serpent to come into shallower water where they could stab it with spears if they all had one. Harper, slightly drunk from her earlier success and from Monty’s moonshine, offered to make them all a spear and to teach them how to use it. Once again Clarke was sceptical as to the likely success, but once again she was proved wrong.

It was a definite air of celebration that night. The grilled water serpent tasted delicious. It might have been the alcohol, but Clarke was almost positive that she and her people were looking healthier than they had ever done before in their lives. Regular, natural food for eating, clean water for drinking and bathing, and clean, pure air for breathing together with the regular exercise they were getting meant that their bodies were in better shape than the ARC could have thought possible. Clarke only hoped that the message from her wrist band was getting through.

While everyone else continued to sleep outside, Finn and Fox slipped off to sleep in the cave. It was inevitable that there would be some pairing off, but with such a small group, Clarke feared for the dynamics if, or when, it all went pear shaped.

With a serpent free lake, the group decided that they were going to somehow learn to swim. They agreed that once they had collected more food and set it to dry to store for winter, that afternoon would be spent in the water playing and trying to swim.

Fox got it first and Finn made sure everyone knew they were together by giving her a big congratulatory kiss in front of them, to hoots of encouragement from Harper and Zoe, and calls to ‘get a room’ from the other boys. Clarke didn’t say anything, but she really felt it was not going to end well.

They were all sat round the fire, with a blanket across their shoulders when there was a loud crack and a streak of fire burned through the sky.

“Is that a shooting star?” asked Jasper.

“No, it’s too big” Monty replied.

“It’s a pod” said Zoe. “It looks like it’s going to land somewhere near here. We should go after it in case there are some supplies in it. We don’t want the other lot to get there first.”

No one could disagree with Zoe. They all emptied their bags and set off.

There were no supplies in the pod, but there was a person; an injured person. The guys managed to get them out of the pod and Clarke removed the helmet.

“Raven!” Finn shouted on seeing the young woman’s face.

Clarke was surprised that Finn didn’t sound as pleased as she thought he would be at seeing a friend who had risked her life to get down to earth. Clarke looked at Finn who was looking at Fox with an appalled expression on his face.

‘Oh crap’ Clarke thought. ‘This really isn’t going to end well.’ Ignoring the not so happy couple Clarke focussed on helping Raven.

“I made it, I really made it” Raven said as she regained consciousness.

“Yeah, you did” Clarke said. “How are you feeling? Take it easy, you have a nasty cut on your head that I’ll see to when we get back to camp.”

“The radio, you have to use the radio. They’re gonna float 300 people if I don’t radio in that it’s safe to come down. Only one wrist band was still working and they thought it might be a glitch and they think you’re all dead. You have to radio in” Raven rambled a little.

“Okay, you sit here and stay still and calm while I use the radio” Clarke said as she saw through the corner of her eye Finn walk hesitantly to Raven, who immediately threw herself into his arms, so sure of her welcome.

“Hello, ARC, come in please. This is earth calling the ARC, come in please” Clarke said into the receiver. “This is Clarke Griffin on earth calling the ARC, come in please.”

“Clarke, is that really you? It’s the Chancellor. Is everyone else with you?” Jaha was clearly really asking about his son.

“I take it you mean Wells. No he’s not with us. He left to go to Mt Weather the day we landed. He hasn’t been seen since and everyone else removed their wrist bands” Clarke replied.

“What about the others who went with him? Why didn’t you go with him?” Jaha asked sounding distraught.

“No one wanted to accompany the son of the man who floated their parents and sent them down here to die; that not only includes me but especially includes me since he was the dirty double crosser who handed my dad in to get floated and landed me in solitary.”

“He got himself arrested so he could be there with you for you, I thought you would still be his friend” Jaha sounded so self righteous.

“I didn’t ask him to get arrested; I didn’t want him here with me. Why would I be friends with someone who betrays my trust the way he did? My dad is dead. I spent over a year alone in solitary confinement, and then I was sent here to die, all because of him.” Clarke was furious.

“You were not sent there to die. You were sent there to live” he insisted.

“No we weren’t. If we were sent here to live, why did you not send any rations with us? Why were there no tents? No blankets, no water canteens, weapons to defend ourselves with against wild animals, knives to cut plants, axes to chop trees, nothing. You sent nothing with us that would help us to live.”

“Everything you need is in Mt Weather. My message told you all to go to Mt Weather.”

“Unfortunately Mt Weather is more than a day’s quick hike away, assuming the nearest mountain to us is Mt Weather and we need to be near water. If you’re so sure that Mt Weather has all the supplies needed, you better make sure that when you come down you land a lot closer to it than we did. Try again Chancellor” Clarke was derisive.

“If you’re to the south of Mt Weather, I can give you the coordinates of a FEMA bunker quite near you that should have some supplies” Jaha offered.

“Okay, we think we’re to the south, south west.” Clarke said.

The Chancellor read off some co-ordinates that could be checked on the tablet that Raven had brought with her. “And Clarke, it wasn’t Wells who told me about your father’s plan, I didn’t even know he knew about it” the Chancellor added. “I’m sure you can work out the only other person it could have been. Get back in touch to let me know about that bunker. Jaha out.”

Clarke was in shock. It had to have been Wells, no one else but her and her mom knew about her dad’s plan – unless he confided in a friend. That had to be it, if Wells was genuinely not the one to betray her father. But if Wells didn’t betray her, then he probably died, because he wanted to come down to earth with her, for her, and she hated him.

“Oh God” Clarke cried. 

“Clarke, what it is?” Charlotte asked.

“Wells, his wrist band stopped working so he’s dead. He kept trying to talk to me but I ignored him, and I hated him for something he didn’t do. He was my friend, my only friend for my whole life and he died with me hating him.”

Charlotte, although a lot younger than Clarke, knew that at that moment Clarke was the one who needed some TLC and hugged Clarke to her own shoulder, holding her tight while she cried for her lost friend.

“We can’t replace him for you, but you’ve got us now, seven friends, maybe eight with the new girl if Fox doesn’t kill her” Charlotte comforted.

“Thank you. You are correct, I have seven, possibly eight new friends and I need to get my act together so that we can get back to camp and I can treat her head wound properly.” Clarke and Charlotte clambered out of the pod, taking everything they could find that they could pull away from the shell and carry.

Just as the bags were being hefted onto their shoulders Bellamy came bursting through the trees. He looked awful; thin, older, very unkempt. ‘Whatever the hell we want’ didn’t seem to be working out too well for him.

“Don’t worry, there were no supplies, just a girl; although we did strip some wires and panels away to take back with us.” Clarke didn’t mention the tablet or radio. “When Raven has been treated for her head wound we’ll probably come back to take whatever else she thinks we might be able to use, like more metal panels, and since you have the drop ship, the least you can do is to let us have this pod, especially since it looks like it was put together with little more than scraps and prayer.”

For some reason Bellamy seemed to be relieved by Clarke’s words and he turned back the way he came.

The gang, Raven supported by Finn, Fox supported by Harper and Zoe, Clarke supported by Charlotte and Monty and Jasper wondering how it was all going to turn out, made their way back to their camp. It was very late when they arrived. Clarke suggested that Finn and Raven take the cave and they would sort everything out the next day.

Raven clearly knew something was going on. No one was speaking to Finn and Fox was receiving lots of support from the others. She was getting lots of sad sympathetic looks. It could only mean one thing: Finn had cheated on her with Fox.

On the one hand it could be argued that Finn thought that he and Raven had been split up by forces outside their control. On the other hand Finn had to know that the ARC would soon be following so they would be back together then. Once Raven knew that Finn had been sent to earth she did everything she could to make sure she made her way to him. Finn seemed to just accept they were parted and decided to move on. It was clear that Finn did not love her the way she loved him. The question was, what was she to do about it?

Raven didn’t come down with any spare clothing so all the girls pooled together to give her something so that she had one spare set. They had a few other bits from the bunker, and hopefully the FEMA supply depot would also have some clothes they could use. On hearing a little about Raven’s skills, Clarke suggested that they all go to the FEMA depot and that the next day Finn take Raven to the bunker he found to see if there was anything that she could use. Clarke thought it would give Raven and Finn a chance to talk to decide together what they would do about their relationship.

The FEMA depot provided more than they expected, but not as much as they had hoped. There were some ugly bright orange blankets that would be so useful; there were some tins of food that had long since expired, but Monty said should still be edible; there were some large plastic containers of very stale water, but would be very useful for them to top up with fresh water and keep in the cave or living area; there were some items of clothing; there were some solar charged flashlights which would be great for the cave; there were a few hunting knives; but the things that they weren’t expecting was guns and bullets.

“No!” Finn was arguing, “we do not need guns.”

“And if the cave does turn out to be the hibernation hole of a big bear how do you think we can win against that?” Jasper asked. “We don’t like the idea of us having guns, but they will be useful.”

“As much as I don’t want us to have them, I would absolutely hate it if the other lot found them so I say we take them and learn how to use them properly” Zoe said emphatically.

“I agree” said Clarke. “We need all the help we can get for self defence, and we need to be smart about looking after the guns and being able to use them. We take them and the bullets and at some point we check them out. Harper, you’re our weapons expert, can you take on the responsibility of being in charge of them?”

Harper agreed.

There was nothing there that Raven thought she could repurpose except for the metal grate shelving. It was too much for them to carry so they agreed to remove that at a later date.

The evening meal that night was awkward. It wasn’t long before everyone bar Raven and Finn decided that they were tired and left for their beds. No sleep was had for some time as they could all hear Raven and Finn argue about the fact that he couldn’t even wait two weeks before cheating on her. The argument appeared to be circular, Finn thought he would never see her again; Raven saying he should have known that she would come down sooner or later and waited. After a period of quiet Raven came to Clarke and Charlotte’s hut and asked if she could sleep with them. It was a very tight squeeze but they managed.

Raven put herself in charge of making their camp habitable. She said that she thought it would actually be better for them to spend winter in FEMA bunker rather than all try to sleep in the cave if they couldn’t make their huts warm and fully waterproof. She then set about ordering the making of more, bigger, better huts. Everyone was either hunting, gathering or building and no one argued against Raven’s words.

Fox, Harper and Zoe had the first new hut. The metal shelving from the FEMA bunker was used to give them all a bed raised off the stone based floor. Pine branches were used as insulation and to soften the metal bed bases. The material from the parachutes made the roof waterproof. The double entry doorway kept out the drafts. It was good.

Having one hut made as the blueprint meant is was a lot quicker and easier to make another. The second one was given to the boys, although Raven was not happy that Finn should have better housing than herself.

They didn’t have enough time to finish another before they were hit with a heavy down pour so Raven, Clarke and Charlotte slept in the cave. All the others said how they were kept warm and dry throughout the night.

Their days were kept busy and not unhappy despite the personal tension. Raven took to treating Finn the same as she did Monty and Jasper; that is like a younger brother. Fox completely ignored him, which he seemed to find attractive because he would find any excuse to talk to her, try to touch her, get her attention on him. It didn’t work and he was starting to harass Fox. Clarke decided it was time for an intervention.

“Finn, Fox doesn’t want anything to do with you. If you don’t stop harassing her I’m going to call for a camp meeting and ask for suggestions for punishment. Keep your behaviours up and you’ll find that no one in camp wants to talk to you so give it up. This is your one and only warning” Clarke told him.

Finn didn’t take it well.

“Hey, everyone listen up!” he shouted. “The Princess here says that she’ll call a camp meeting to discuss my punishment for having the audacity to love Fox!”

Clarke wasn’t the only one unhappy with the way it was phrased. “You mean your punishment for lying to her and pestering her when she wants nothing to do with you when you’re found out” Zoe corrected. “I say you should be banished if you don’t leave her alone.”

“Yeah, you can go back to Bellamy’s lot” said Harper.

“Fox, what do you want?” Raven asked.

“I just want him to leave me alone, stop trying to talk to me, stop touching me” Fox said.

“That sounds reasonable, mate” Monty said. “Leave her alone and there’ll be no problems, right?”

“Yeah, man” Jasper put in. “You made a mistake. Learn from it and allow everyone to get over it and no worries.”

“Can you do that, Finn?” Clarke asked. “Can you accept that Fox does not want you touching her anymore, or even talking to her?”

Finn looked hard at Fox and Clarke was surprised to see the level of anger. “It seems like I don’t have a choice, doesn’t it.”

When Finn was off checking the snares with Charlotte, Clarke went to Fox and gave her a small knife and offered the words “use it if he touches you again”. Fox just nodded.

Knowing it was coming, it was still a shock when there was another loud crack of a ship entering the earth’s atmosphere. They watched as it came down too fast.

“It’s going to crash rather than land!” Monty said, frightened of what it might mean.

“At least their aim was better” Jasper said as they watch it explode as it crashed into what they assumed was Mt Weather. There was no way anyone could possibly survive that.

“There’s no point in even trying to look for survivors to help” Clarke said. “On the extremely unlikely chance that there was a miracle and someone survived, they would be dead by the time we got there and I very much doubt that there would be anything worth us having to carry back here for us to use.”

The others could only agree and the whole episode put a dampener on their mood. Clarke thought that it was likely that her mother was on board that drop ship so she was now an orphan, something that she knew she had in common with a few of her fellow camp mates. Clarke removed her wrist band knowing that there was no one left who would care to know that she was still alive.

Over time the camp settled into a routine. The mornings were spent hunting, gathering or working on their accommodations. They spent the afternoons doing something that could be useful, but also fun, target practice was the main game. Although they had the guns, they did not want to use them since they seemed so out of place on this relatively peaceful earth so they practiced making and throwing spears, archery with rudimentary bow and arrows. Raven thought she could come up with something to make the guns quieter so as to reduce the risk of Bellamy’s group hearing them and coming to investigate.

Finn managed to limit himself to giving longing looks towards Fox and Raven, clearly distressed at the loss of the friendship if nothing else. He did however manage to make friends with Charlotte who proved most gifted when it came to setting snares and always caught something. She also had a knack for fishing with the crude net that Clarke made so they managed to have a varied and nutritional diet.

Bathing and washing clothes became a bit more of a chore the colder the water got, but they were determined to tough it out and maintain a degree of cleanliness. The boys weren’t too happy about it until Clarke said to them “It’s really good for you; it gets the blood flowing quicker so it is better for getting rid of toxins, helping you think, stamina building and healing any cuts.” They were a bit happier about it after that.

“Is any of what you said true?” Raven asked quietly.

“No, but it sounded logical, don’t you think?”

The two young women dissolved into giggles.

One day their peace was disturbed by the arrival of yellow fog. They had seen it in the distance previously, but it had never got to their camp before. Thinking that it was probably toxic they decided to retire to the cave until it had past.

“I want to get the cards!” Charlotte declared. “I’ll be quick, just dash there and back holding my breath!”

“No, Charlotte!” Clarke cried trying unsuccessfully to grab the young girl to prevent her from leaving the safety of the cave.

Charlotte jumped into the yellow fog and immediately started to scream. “It’s burning! It’s burning!”

Finn, who was closest to the cave entrance, fell out after Charlotte and immediately started to groan. Charlotte’s head was pushed through the cave entrance and willing hands went to help pull her in. Clarke covered her arms and hands in blankets and went to help pull Finn back in.

Both Charlotte and Finn’s exposed skin was covered in blisters and boils.

“Quick, put your gloves on and gently remove their clothes, then try to rinse them with the water we have here, and if any of you have burns to rinse them too” Clarke said as she ended up slicing through Charlotte’s top and the seams of her trousers and pulling off her boots. 

Clarke could see that where Charlotte wore fur the skin was protected, but where only ARC clothes protected the skin it was blistering. Using a little water to try to rinse off what was apparently acid from the skin resulted only in further screams of pain from Charlotte.

Finn was merely groaning as lumps of skin were pulled away with his clothes.

Raven was crying as she looked at her childhood friend, her former love. She could see no way by which he could recover.

“Rae, sorry for hurting you” Finn whispered as he moaned in pain.

“S’okay” Raven whispered, near to his head, but unwilling to risk hurting him further by getting too close. “I forgive you. You are my best friend, you saved my life. I owe you everything.”

“Then kill me, please Rae. Kill me now so it doesn’t hurt anymore.” Finn begged.

“I can’t kill you Finn, I can’t. It would kill me to have to end your life” Raven was in tears.

“Please Rae, please.”

Clarke could hear everything and was coming to the conclusion that she would not be able to save Charlotte. Charlotte would soon go into shock and shortly afterwards her body would begin shutting down and Charlotte would die in great pain. She needed to take a look at Finn.

“Fox, come here and try to cool Charlotte’s skin while I take a quick look at Finn” Clarke suggested as Charlotte went quiet and started to shake.

It didn’t require much of an examination for Clarke to know that the situation for Finn was just as dire as for Charlotte.

“I’m sorry, Finn. You will need skin grafts and I can’t do them. I don’t think there is anything anyone on earth can do for you” Clarke said.

“Then kill me, please, Clarke. Take my pain, please” Finn begged again.

“Okay, Finn; I’ll take your pain away. You won’t suffer for any longer” Clarke said as she moved aside to allow Raven to get close to say her goodbyes.

“I’ll see you on the other side, Finn” Raven said as Clarke sliced Finn’s carotid. “There’s no may about us meeting again, I’ll see you …” and Raven started to cry as Finn had taken his last breath.

Leaving Raven to weep over Finn’s body, Clarke turned back to Charlotte only to find that Charlotte had gone through shock very quickly and died in the short time Clarke was with Finn.

“Charlotte’s gone, too” Clarke said sadly. “Once the fog has passed we will need to bury them. We need to do something about preparing for that stuff when it comes again. We can’t risk being caught out in that. I guess we’re lucky in a way that we haven’t been hit by it before. I wonder if the other camp was hit, too.”

“Lucky?” Raven cried. “Finn is dead. Charlotte is dead and you guess we are lucky! What sort of person are you Griffin that you can calmly kill one of your own people and think that you are lucky?”

Defensive, Clarke retorted “I think I am the sort of person who thinks that we are lucky that Jasper found this cave for us to take shelter; I think we are lucky that we weren’t all out in the forest with no shelter for any of us when it hit; I’m the sort of person who thinks it is lucky that there are still seven of us alive when we could all have been killed by that fog. We could have all suffered agonising burns and died from them. I’m the sort of person who is glad that I had to end the suffering of one person and not more. Maybe my choice of wording was poor, but I am not going to apologise for the sentiment behind them.”

“You don’t have to, Clarke” Harper said as she came to hug Clarke in consolation. “We know that you didn’t want to have to kill Finn, just like we know you didn’t want Charlotte to die. Raven knows that too, so just take a small break from being our fearless leader and give yourself time to grieve.”

Clarke cried in Harper’s arms: she cried for the loss of young, innocent Charlotte who so loved her time with Clarke; and for Finn, charming, likable and oh so brave Finn.

It took hours to dig the two graves. Clarke knew that Raven was giving her dirty looks as she removed Finn’s boots and what was left of his outer wear; but they would need it. Clarke laid some moss on the floor of the graves for the bodies to rest upon. They were then covered with fir so that the gang would not have to look at their faces when they were covered up with the soil. 

While the soil was being put back into the holes, they recited the traveller’s blessing:  
“In peace may you leave the shore …” until the graves were covered and they said a final “May we meet again.”

Raven never apologised to Clarke for the things she said, and Clarke didn’t really expect her to; but at least she acted as though she didn’t mean them, and for Clarke that was enough. As skilful as he was at tracking and setting snares, something that Fox took over since she was next best, it was Charlotte who Clarke missed the most. She missed Charlotte’s youthful naivety, her cheerful optimism and the way she looked at all her companion campers as if they hung the moon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about Finn and Charlotte, but I think Finn needed to die and this seemed like a 'good' way to do it.  
The next part will tell us a little about what was going on with the other camp.


	11. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn what happened with the rest of the 100 and the ARC comes down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the second part of the final story in this set of 'Different Choices'. I did think about taking it away from the series and making it a separate story with three or four chapters, but then I thought that I had so many stories going on that I needed to be disciplined and stop. Maybe one day I'll pick it back up again. I haven't put in any pairings so they can be up to your imagination, but if I do pick it up I have some in mind and you may not like them!

Their life progressed through the beginning of winter. Frost was on the ground and bathing in the lake was definitely a chore rather than a pleasure, but they all resolved to carry on and hopefully grow inured to the cold.

Clarke, Raven and Fox were out checking snares and looking for anything that they could use to further insulate their cabins, or eat when they found something that shocked them.

“Oh my gosh. Am I the only one seeing this?” Fox asked.

Clarke raced to look and check on their find. “They’re alive” Clarke yelled. “Come on, we need to help them.”

Clarke tried to put the arm of one of the young men over her shoulder and to heft him up to take him back to their camp. He was too heavy and she needed help.

“Here let me help you” Fox said as she went to do the same on the man’s other side. “Raven, can you stay with the rest until we get back with more hands?” Raven nodded her assent as Clarke and Fox dragged the young man away and hopefully towards safety.

While Clarke tried to ascertain if the young man had any injuries, the rest of their gang went with Fox to bring back the other males. Clarke could just about recognise this one from the drop ship even though she couldn’t remember his name. He looked a lot thinner and a lot older than she remembered. On realising that there were no injuries, Clarke began making a broth, something that would be fairly easy on their stomachs, but would contain some nutrients to help them get back on their feet.

It didn’t take long for the others to return carrying the other three young men, one of whom Clarke recognised as the Court jester Bellamy.

None of them were injured. They probably just got too tired due to malnutrition and couldn’t summon up the will power to get up and carry on once they settled to rest. It was even possible that they were looking for them. Something to sort out once they were on the path to recovery, Clarke decided. They were propped up against the seats they kept close to the fire so that they wouldn’t choke as they were given broth and water.

Fox and Harper went back out to search for more food. Jasper and Monty, under Raven’s close supervision, began to make another shelter. They didn’t have enough time to make sure it was fully waterproof before the next day so they hoped it wouldn’t rain overnight. It didn’t seem likely, but it was also possible that their guests would not be staying beyond the one night. 

It was possibly the warmth of the fire, or the food and liquid in their bellies as forced by Clarke and Zoe, but it didn’t seem to take long before the young men were starting to awaken.

“Hey, shush, calm down” Clarke and Zoe reassured their patients. “You’re safe here now. We’ve got you. You just need to take it easy for a while. Just stay by the fire and sip this broth and soon you’ll be back to normal.”

With the men awake, it was easier to get them to swallow the broth, which they seemed so eager to do. The more they consumed, the better they became.

“Okay, Jester” Clarke began, talking to Bellamy, “what’s going on with you four? Why are you in such a state?”

“There’s other survivors already living here” Bellamy began to Clarke’s shock. “Octavia made friends with one of them. We landed in their territory and they want us dead. We didn’t know. We thought we were alone. Lincoln, Octavia’s friend, had taken a large group to stay with some other people, but he would only take 20 so we four decided to branch out before we were killed off too.”

“What? There’s only 24 of you left? What happened to everyone else?” Clarke asked.

“Some killed by grounder traps, sickness – a lot of fevers, Lincoln said blood infections, hunger, the acid fog. You?”

“We lost Finn and Charlotte to the fog but we’ve had no sickness or hunger. Easier to feed the few of us, I suppose and I know how to treat wounds so they don’t get infected” Clarke offered.

“I killed Mbege in a fight” Murphy added. “Didn’t mean for him to die, just wanted him to stop riding me.”

“We found Wells. He’d been tied to a stake and left as bait for a grounder trap. Roma fell into the trap when she saw him tied up. It looked like he’d had a spear through his chest. Good job you were pissed with him and didn’t go too. Lincoln told us they were watching you, too, but decided to leave you alone since you were on the border of their territory and not encroaching on any of their hunting grounds. Guess it doesn’t hurt that there are so few of you, too.”

“Well I hope you didn’t piss them off too much ‘coz it looks like you four are now part of us. Hope you like fish” Clarke snarked.

Bellamy smirked “we like anything and everything.”

The next day everyone gathered around the fire eating some dried fruit and drinking a hot tea made from some tree bark. Clarke repeated for everyone to hear what Bellamy had told her the day before.

“We packed three back packs each. Are they here?” Bellamy asked.

“No” Clarke replied. “We made sure to bring you back without looking for your luggage, why?”

“We put as much as we could into them. There’s more clothes and boots, parachute and rope, cables and other stuff we could pull from the ship. No furs, we gave all those to the others.”

“We’ll go and look for them after breakfast” Monty said, indicating him and Jasper.

“After you’ve done your morning ablutions” Clarke corrected.

“Ah, man. I thought this would be the perfect reason to let go for a day” Jasper replied as all the females smirked.

Seeing the puzzled looks on their new members faces Clarke explained that the females first go in the lake, before breakfast, to wash themselves and their clothes, catch a few fish, and after breakfast it was the males’ turn. The idea of washing every day seemed to puzzle them, but they just shrugged. “We’ll let you off washing until after lunch so you have something to change into” Clarke decreed.

While everyone else went about their usual morning routines, the four new members fell asleep in front of the fire. No doubt having food in their stomachs, as well as the warmth from the fire, brought on this newfound ability to relax.

Monty and Jasper could only find nine backpacks, which meant that three were still missing. Still, on unpacking them they found much that would be very useful. The clothes were clean enough that the men could change into them after they had their bath. Sorting out one set for each of them the rest was put safely into the cave for storage.

The parachutes could be used to make mattresses to stuff so that everyone’s bed was a bit softer. The stuffing would be a bit difficult, but nothing they couldn’t overcome.

There was enough thin, malleable metal that Raven said could be used to make a chimney so they could light a fire in the cave, if necessary; and she could make a canopy to go over the fire so that they could keep the rain off and dry their clothes near it when it became too cold in winter to dry in their cabins. 

All told, it was a good haul, almost worth having four, currently, useless lumps to feed!

After lunch, consisting of rabbit stew that went down a real treat with everyone, work was carried out on the new cabin to make sure it was water proof. The four newcomers, despite the freezing cold, enjoyed their first bath and managed to clean themselves, their clothes and shave. Once dried and dressed they almost looked healthy.

Suddenly, there was a loud crack; the sound of something entering the atmosphere: then another, and another. They all looked to the sky.

“It’s the ARC” Raven exclaimed, recognising the shapes, even at such a distance. “They’re bringing the whole thing down!”

Everyone watched as pieces of their former home fell through the atmosphere, crashing to the ground many miles away. It was clear that some would have been destroyed, but it was possible that some people could have survived some of the landings.

“What do we do?” Fox asked and everyone looked to Clarke to make the decision.

“We do nothing at the moment” she decided. “They are too far away for us to get to them with even a full day’s walking and we don’t know in what territory they have landed. We’ll study the map Lincoln gave Bellamy and try to work out where they might have landed and go from there. Bellamy, can you think about everything Lincoln told you about the clans and try to note where they might be? The rest of us carry on for now.”

“What? No, we can’t just leave them, Clarke” Harper said. “They’re our people!”

“Our people who sent us down here to die” Clarke reminded them. “If it seems feasible for us to get to them, we will see if we can offer aid, but we don’t put ourselves at risk for them.”

“She’s right” said an unexpected voice as a man, a large grounder wearing furs walked to their camp carrying two more of their back packs. “These are yours” and he threw the packs towards Miller and Murphy. “One of the pieces looked like it landed deep in Azgeda territory. Any survivors will be killed on sight as unwelcome invaders. Another piece looked like it landed somewhere around the border of Azgeda, Ouskejonkru and Trikru. The fate of any survivors depends on which side of the border they landed. You are lucky that you landed in Trikru and they adopted a watch and wait policy before deciding your fate. The larger group were too noisy and cut into their hunting which is why they had to go. Here, you’re on the border with Ouskejonkru, and although you are noisy, you’re not affecting anyone at the moment. To be honest, I’m not sure you should stay after winter, though. With more of your people possibly here, you could attract unwanted attention, but no one will do anything until spring.”

There was a few moments of silence until Clare suddenly pulled herself together. “Thanks for bringing these to us, and for the advice, but, well, umm, who the hell are you?”

“Sorry, it’s been such a long time that I’ve been in company that I’ve forgotten my manners” he said arrogantly. “I am Roan, formerly of Azgeda, that is the Ice nation, at your service.”

“Nice to meet you Roan, formerly of Azgeda. I am Clarke, formerly of the Space nation, I guess, and this is Raven, Bellamy, Murphy, Fox, Harper, Jasper, Monty, Zoe, Miller and Sterling, also all formerly of the Space nation. What do you recommend about checking on our former people?”

“Tomorrow, if you are agreeable, I can lead a small team of you, people who would be recognised, to where we think they may have landed. As long as we don’t cross into Azgeda territory we should be fine with a small group” Roan offered.

Clarke looked to her people. “Anyone have any objections to that?” There were shakes of heads. “Then in that case I suggest Raven, Miller and I go, if you’re up to it, Miller, if not Monty.”

“I’m fine” Miller said.

“Erm, Clarke” Bellamy was hesitant. “I don’t want anyone from the ARC to see me since I shot the Chancellor to get on the dropship.” There was not an ounce of apology in his tone.

“I guessed you had done something like that. At least we know you didn’t kill him” and Bellamy gave a big sigh of relief. “Don’t worry, I have no intention of joining up with the people of the ARC either so if nothing else we can form a small band. Everyone else can decide when we know who is around.” 

There were no further arguments.

While everyone was sat around the fire eating some supper – caught by Roan, skinned by Zoe, cooked by Jasper; and drinking some of Monty’s moonshine, Roan told them all the history of the coalition, the Kongeda he called it and explained why he was clanless and how he was forever marked as such.

“I could do something about that, if you wanted” Clarke offered. “We don’t have any pain killers, other than mild herbal stuff that Monty has found, but I could make your scars less prominent, and change what is visible so you might be able to blend in a bit more.”

“Thank you, but I’m not ashamed of who I am, I just have to make sure that I can cover them up temporarily at times” Roan replied.

Clarke, Raven and Miller each packed a bag with some clean clothes, some bedding, a filled water bottle and some dried fish, meat and fruits. Roan raised his brow and agreed to take some too but thought it would be better to catch their food each day.

“I agree, and if it turns out that we don’t need the dried food, then we can return it to stores when we get back” Clarke said as she then made sure that they had knives, or something to defend themselves with.

Sorting out sleeping quarters was awkward until Roan just said that he would bed down by the fire. Clarke was amazed at how quickly and easily Roan had gained the trust of the whole group. She had no doubt that if he wanted to, they would all be dead by morning.

“Come on, wake up time” was boomed through the camp and the loud clatter of the metal cups and plates that served as door bells on all the huts was heard making its way around. Clarke groaned and tried to hide back under her blanket but it was pulled away from her by a smirking Roan.

“I like your homes” he said. “Very practical and so very easy to replicate, as long as you’re near a forest. Come on, I have breakfast ready.”

“Raven and I need to wash first” Clarke groaned. “Can you wake the other girls while I make sure Raven is moving?”

“Don’t bother, I’m up even though it isn‘t even dawn. That water is going to be beyond cold” Raven complained.

“Why do the rest of us have to get up if we’re not going anywhere?” Jasper asked.

“No idea” Clarke said. “If you want everyone else can go back to bed but Miller, you’ll have to bathe with Raven and me.”

Since everyone knew that Miller was gay, no one seemed to care as they shivered their way through their morning ablutions, Roan laughing all the while.

Making her way back to the camp, Clarke noticed Roan and Bellamy in close conversation and wondered what they were talking about. It really wasn’t any of her business, but she had the feeling that she ought to know about it.

“Harper and fox are best at hunting and Monty at foraging” Clarke told Bellamy as they were ready to head out. “Don’t let any of them go too far away from camp, or go in the water drunk. Get Fox to teach you to swim if needed. The others know what to do. Stay safe and see you in five days.”

“Don’t worry so much Princess” Bellamy smirked at the old nickname, “we will be fine for a few days without you. Thank you for taking us in. May we meet again.”

“I didn’t know you are a Princess” Roan said as they were walking along. Raven and Miller snorted in amusement.

“I’m not” Clarke retorted. “My parents held fairly senior positions on the ARC and were well off so I was sneeringly called the Princess. Being me didn’t get me any special privileges, knowledge or help when it came to coming down to earth so I have no idea why Bellamy harks on about it.”

“Maybe because you called him the court jester in retaliation” Miller retorted as Roan laughed.

They hiked all morning, stopping for a brief lunch of some nuts and late fruits from the trees before hiking all afternoon. Just as dusk was beginning to set in, they could see the outline of a part of the ARC in the distance.

“Let’s camp here for the night” Roan said. “It will be better to approach in daylight rather than the dark.” There were no disagreements.

Clarke and Raven quickly built an open ended shelter in case of rain while Miller collected firewood and Roan went to hunt for some meat. By the time Roan returned with a brace of birds the fire was going and the shelter had been raised off the ground with their bedding laid out.

“I’m impressed” Roan said of the shelter, and threw his own fur in to claim his spot. He started to pluck the birds, ready to throw the feathers away but Clarke stopped him pointing out that the feather could be used to stuff pillows or other bedding. Roan merely shrugged and allowed Clarke to collect the feathers and place them in her bag.

“What order should we set the watch?” Roan asked after they had eaten and he was replenishing his quiver of arrows.

“Not necessary” Raven said as she went around their small camp setting their alarms. “Just make sure that you don’t go outside of the perimeter after we settle for the night if you don’t want the rest of us ready to kill you when you come back.”

Roan grunted his approval and Miller looked on in admiration.

The next morning they washed as best they could in the nearby stream and packed up ready to set off to see if there were any survivors. They decided to keep the shelter intact and just hid it using fir branches nearby.

It was almost lunch time when they got close enough to see what had landed – Alpha Station, Clarke and Miller’s old home. They also saw that there were some people wandering around, not knowing what to do with themselves, and some people digging graves.

“Do you think we would be more welcome if we came bearing gifts?” Miller asked. “You know, something like a deer or two wouldn’t go amiss.”

“He’s right” Roan said. “You wait here and watch, see if you can see someone you recognise while I see what I can find.”

It didn’t take long for Miller to spot his dad, or at least he thought the man was his dad who was holding a gun and standing guard over those who were digging graves, so they kept an eye on him as looked for more familiar people. Raven then spotted her mentor as he walked from one part of the station to another. She had no doubts. Clarke didn’t spot anyone she knew.

Roan came back with a deer, a boar and three rabbits. Depending on how many people there were it would be enough for one meal. They gutted the animals and then lifted them up to head to the fallen ARC station, Miller in the lead.

David Miller almost didn’t recognise his son as he strolled towards him with three other people. He dropped his gun and ran to hug his only offspring.

“Hi, I’m Clarke Griffin, this is Raven Reyes and a friend of ours Roan” Clarke said. “We thought we should come to see if we can lend a hand. Roan caught us some meat as a present.”

Miller senior didn’t seem to know what to say, how to react. It took another guard to bring him back to his senses. The guard, Major Byrne, wasn’t too sure about letting Roan in with the others but Clarke and Raven both said that if Roan didn’t go in, neither did they and, more importantly, neither did the meat that he had caught for them, she relented, all the while keeping a suspicious eye on him.

The four were led through the very rag-tag camp. Clarke couldn’t believe how bad it was. The meat was taken to the canteen kitchen where it received a look of confusion. Roan offered to show them how to prepare it for cooking which was gratefully received. Major Byrne was torn between keeping an eye on Roan or taking the others to the Chancellor. Eventually she decided that Miller could watch Roan.

“Mom!” Clarke exclaimed in surprise. “I thought you died when the exodus ship crashed.”

“Clarke, honey, my baby girl. Thank goodness you’re safe and back with us, right where you belong” Abby hugged her daughter. 

Whilst Clarke was pleased her mom was alive, she had no intention of staying with them and said as much. “We only came to offer some assistance” she said.

“When Thelonious said he told you it was me who turned your father in I thought that you might want to stay away, but you seemed so pleased to see me that I thought you had forgiven me” Abby cried, not noticing that Clarke was slowly moving away from her.

“It was you? All this time you let me believe it was Wells and it was you. How could you? How could you get your husband killed, and your daughter locked up? Well that explains why you never came to visit me in solitary. I tell you what. Don’t talk to me anymore. I’ll wander around to see who we can help for myself.” Without waiting for her friends, Clarke left the Chancellor’s office to look for someone she could talk to about buildings.

“I am the Chancellor and you will stay here, young lady” Abby said.

“I thought you might want someone to help build some homes; someone to help with hunting and knowing what plants are poisonous, medicinal, food; someone who has made friends with a local survivor who can guide them to other crash sites to look for more of you. Am I wrong?”

“What do you mean ‘local survivor’?” Abby focussed on the point she didn’t understand.

“There are thousands of people already living around here. We were dropped in the middle of someone’s territory and were impinging on their hunting. A group of 20 has gone with one of the locals to find a new home and ten have settled with me. The rest have died. My local friend is currently showing your kitchen staff how to prepare meat. If you want us to continue helping you, you will not stand in our way” and Clarke stormed off to find Roan.

Roan was feeling very frustrated by this lot of people who fell from the sky. He tried to make allowances for the fact that everything about the ground was new to them, but really, Clarke’s group had more idea about how to survive in their little fingers then the whole of the kitchen staff put together. Luckily, before he could let out his annoyance, Clarke came to retrieve him.

“Are we going to find the other site now? I suggest we take some rope since we will be traversing rock faces. Miller should stay here until we come back because he does not have the upper body strength needed. Perhaps he can show them how to make the shelters?”

Clarke thought for a moment. “Mother, we will need some rope and I suggest two of your people with strong upper bodies to come with Roan and I to look at another crash site. We think that one landed in Azgeda, which means it is very likely that everyone surviving the crash there will be killed as unwelcome invaders, but one seemed to have landed just over into Blue Cliffs territory that we’re going to investigate. Raven and Miller can stay here to show you how to make better shelters, and then return to our camp to let the others know what’s happening. Roan, myself and the two you suggest will leave first light tomorrow.”

“Why do you have to go?” Abby asked.

Clarke didn’t verbally respond, but she did pick up Raven and tossed her to Roan before picking up Miller.

“You must not take your faya guns” Roan said. “They are against our law and if you are seen with one you will be killed immediately.”

“That is just plain ridiculous. You can’t expect us to send our people out there with no weapons” Abby returned.

“Why not? You sent us with no weapons, and no local to help us. If you must bring a gun, make sure it is fully concealed.” Clarke set out. “Come on, we’ll go and look for some supplies for tomorrow. We won’t be long” Clarke said to the guard.

Once they were away from the station, Clarke told Raven and Miller that she discovered that it was her mom who had her dad floated and her locked up. Raven couldn’t believe that Abby would do such a thing. Roan wanted an explanation of what Clarke was saying. He too was surprised at the information.

“If you want to stay with the station, then do so, but there is no way I am going to. We’ll lead the two Arkers back here with whoever we find then I’m peeling off to go back to our camp” Clarke said.

“I don’t trust them not to keep us here by force” Miller said, “and I do not want to be treated as a young criminal again so I’m not planning on returning after we’ve warned our camp on what’s happening. Raven?”

“I wouldn’t mind one way or another, maybe because I wasn’t actually a delinquent sent here to die because I was expendable, and I do have good job I could go back to. Okay, I wouldn’t have the same autonomy that I have now, but the work should be more challenging. Maybe I’ll come back with one or two of the others for a bit and we could always leave later if it gets too overbearing.”

“You would be in a lot of danger here” Roan said. “This is too close to the mountain and the reapers and acid fog, you have to know the risks you will be taking.”

“Listen, if anyone wants to leave our camp to stay with the station they can. If we need to leave the camp for any reason, we’ll leave a message on the back wall of the cave as to where we’re going so if anyone wants to meet up again they can. Just don’t let my mother know where the camp is or where we’re going.”

They returned to the station with lots of long, thin, flexible branches and ivy stems to use as twine. Gaining the assistance of three from the station, they went into the forest to collect more, giving lessons on what to look for and why. They also selected a spot, quite close to the station to set up camp for the night. Roan set up a fire, showing the others how to do it, and buried some root vegetables he had found to cook slowly while they carried on working. They also searched for a source of fresh water so that they could top up their water bottles. After tasting water fresh from a stream there was no way Clarke wanted to go back to drinking recycled water, yeuch!

Back at the station, Roan pointed out that winter was almost upon them so they would need to make sure that they had a source of food and warm shelter to see them through the next season. He noted that none of them looked particularly well nourished and that would only worsen in the harsh cold that was to come.

Clarke thought that Roan spoke nothing but common sense, but it seemed that Abby was determined to ignore everything he said. She openly scoffed at him when Roan told her about the mountain men, the reapers and the acid fog they sent. There was no way that Clarke could countenance such blatant rudeness.

“Right, we’re off to our camp now. We’ll be back at first light to leave to look for another site. Remember, good upper body strength and lots of strong rope. Sorry we didn’t think to bring any with us, not that we have a lot, but still …” and Clarke trailed off as she and Roan left; Raven and Miller opting to stay at the station for the time being.

Clarke and Roan were awoken by their alarm system. “Don’t shoot, throw your knives or whatever, it’s only me” Miller said. “I just came to warn you that Dr Griffin is planning on making sure that you stay tomorrow, Clarke. When you arrive at the station you are not to be allowed back out again. I told my dad where I was going and not to expect me until morning so I can play it any way you want.”

Clarke and Roan looked at the moon and realised that there wasn’t that much time before dawn so decided to get packed up there and then. Roan led them to a spot that was protected and in the direction they would be heading. Clarke was to remain there until Roan arrived with no more than two from the station. If he didn’t arrive, she was to assume he was taken prisoner or killed and return to her camp immediately. Miller didn’t like to tell him that the chances of Clarke leaving without him were practically zero, and Clarke didn’t point it out to him either.

It took longer than it should have done for Roan and two guards to meet up with Clarke which told her that there was indeed a problem. Clarke gave Roan a discrete nod to indicate that she was on her guard. It was just as Roan suggested a stop for lunch because they were about to come to a cliff edge that would be difficult to transverse that the guards struck. They both pulled out their handguns and pointed them at Clarke and Roan.

“So you really don’t want to look for more survivors” Clarke said exasperated. “I would have thought you would at least wait until we found the crash site before pulling this shit. How selfish are you?”

The guards seemed to be a little conflicted. “The Chancellor just told us to make sure that we got you back as soon as possible. She said nothing about looking for more survivors” one of them said.

“That is why we are on this little trip. Do you want to look for more survivors or do you want to try to get me back to the Chancellor without having to kill me first? I assure you I will not go with you willingly and how will it look if you turn up with no news of another crash site and with my dead body?” Clarke asked them, wondering how bright they were.

“We could shoot him and then you would have to come willingly” one offered.

“Shoot my friend and he and I will kill you both before we leave you to the animals to feed off. Listen, let us just carry on to where we’re going, I’m sure you are going to have other opportunities to try to persuade us to your point, okay? And for goodness sake, put those things away before someone gets hurt. Come on, I’m hungry, didn’t have much of a breakfast this morning” and Clarke sat down to pull out some of her rations as if nothing untoward had occurred. Roan raised an amused brow and followed suit.

“The small cliff is the border between Trikru and Blue Cliffs. The valley is really used as no mans’ land and I would prefer we get to the shelter of the next cliff to camp for the night. We might have to walk fast, or in the dark a little since we set off so late” Roan said. “I think the other crash might be just over the next hill. We should at least be able to see it tomorrow.”

Clarke just nodded and asked how they would get down the cliff.

“Depending on how nimble you are, we all should be able to get down easily if we take care of where we’re putting our feet. It’s a bit slippery with loose stones and we have to move along a very narrow ledge at one point so be careful of your balance.”

Clarke gave instructions to the men to give her some privacy while she went to pee. Roan just gave an amused smirk as if it was an oddity to want privacy to pee; perhaps to him it was.

Roan led the way down a steep cliff. It wasn’t that difficult for Clarke to keep her balance but the guards weren’t so lucky. They had very sore and achy backsides by the time they reached the bottom. Roan and Clarke strode ahead leaving the guards to either keep up or not. For all they didn’t talk much, Clarke enjoyed how in sync she seemed to be with Roan judging by the amused smirks they exchanged.

When Clarke was sure she would not be over heard she told Roan that one of them had lost their handgun which was now safely residing in her backpack. She said that when they set camp she would be sure to put the still armed guard between the two of them so that she could arrange a little accident so they could disarm him, too.

As they got closer to the cliff they would have to climb Clarke noticed something at the top. She took out the scope she had ‘borrowed’ from David Miller and looked. It was a pack of wolves, circling and looking down the cliff edge: she followed their stares.

“Shit!” Clarke exclaimed. “There’s someone trapped clinging to a tree on a small ledge about a third of the way down with a pack of wolves circling above looking for a way to get to the meal.”

Clarke gave the scope to Roan and pointed to the wolves.

“Five wolves; difficult, not impossible. They’re too close to the edge for me to risk an arrow because one could fall over and bring the person down with them. The best bet is to secure the person then to try to take out some of the wolves. You up for an evening’s climb, Clarke?”

Clarke nodded and they hurried to the beginning of the climb. Roan used the scope to study the detail of the terrain and formulated his plan. Clarke and Roan climbed up to where the terrified young woman waited. Clarke gave her a little water and told her that she was going to be fine, that they would get her down and back with the rest of the survivors from Alpha, she just had to hold on and be calm. Mel, the woman was called, looked at Clarke and Roan in awe and promised to do what they said. 

Mel and Clarke were tied together with rope and then secured to the ledge by a large overhang. Roan removed his fur cloak and covered them both. He then climbed down again and using his bow and arrows fired at the pack of wolves. As expected, one fell over the edge and tried to gain traction by clawing at the women on the ledge. Thanks to Roan’s foresight, the wolf only managed to pull down Roan’s cloak. Roasted wolf was on the menu for that night’s supper. Roan could see that at least one other wolf was seriously injured so that reduced the danger from five to three. He instructed the guards to begin dressing and skinning the dead wolf. They looked at him as if he was speaking a foreign language so he suggested they walk for ten minutes to either side of their position to see if they could find a water source. He then climbed back up to bring Mel down while Clarke brought herself down the cliff.

When back on the ground, Clarke got out her meagre medical supplies while Roan saw to the wolf. Mel had a badly sprained ankle that needed strapping, an injured wrist and shoulder requiring a sling. She would not be able to walk unaided let alone climb cliffs.

Mel said she thought that she was the only survivor since she saw and heard no one else. She had been walking for a day or so when she fell down the cliff and hadn’t had anything to eat or drink since they came down. Clarke warned her not to eat too much in one go, but to save some to have frequent, regular small amounts to eat.

Feigning light-headedness, Clarke fell against the armed guard and knocked him over. So apologetic she checked him over for injuries and lifted his handgun which she passed to Roan to hide upon his person.

“You need water” Roan said emphatically to Clarke. “You have not drunk nearly enough today that is why you are dizzy.”

Clarke meekly agreed and took some more of her water with an eye roll at her co-conspirator. The next morning Roan offered to climb up to check out the crash site himself. Clarke, naturally, would have nothing of it and insisted on going with him. She instructed the guards to make sure that nothing happened to Mel and to keep all three of them fed and hydrated.

At the top of the cliff the pack of wolves was feasting off the body of the other that Roan hit with his arrows. He sent another three arrows at the pack, hitting two and missing the third; but that was okay because Clarke got that one with one of her knives, slowing it down enough for Roan to kill it off. They quickly gutted the wolves and took them to the edge of the cliff, to the side of where the mini camp was and threw them down. It was unlikely, but they hoped the other three would have the initiative to try to skin them and start drying out the meat.

They didn’t need to walk far to see that Mel was correct. In fact it was a miracle that she was able to walk away. The station was broken up into so many pieces. If there had been any survivors the wolves would have picked them off. Mel was lucky that she fell down that cliff edge and kept the wolves away. Roan and Clarke quickly made their way back to the others.

Seeing that they were correct and that nothing had been done to the wolves Clarke and Roan got to work on the skinning and drying. Even though the pelts were not ready for use, Clarke wrapped one around Mel who would otherwise freeze once she moved away from the fire.

After some lunch, Clarke talked Roan into carrying Mel on his back while she and the two guards carried the wolf pelts and as much of the meat as they could. They crossed the other side of the valley ready to climb the small slippery cliff into Trikru territory.

“We can’t climb up there, especially while carrying someone in the dark” Clarke declared. “We shall have to camp here for the night and can set off at first light. With luck we’ll reach Alpha by dusk.” What she didn’t say is that she and Roan wouldn’t be going in with them.

Roan carried Mel up the cliff, most nimbly, while the others lumbered their way up. Once at the top, Clarke offered to carry Mel to give Roan a break, embarrassing the guards enough to make them offer instead. They each carried her for about half an hour before they gave up and let Clarke carry her for a while before they broke for some lunch. Roan carried her again after lunch. They stopped when they could clearly see the station in the distance.

Clarke shared out the meat and pelts giving Mel a pelt and the guards most of the meat. She and Roan then pointed out that they were leaving them and going back to their own camp. When the guards reached for their guns to try to stop them they realised they were unarmed. 

“You lost yours when we were going down that cliff” Clarke shouted at one; then looked at the other and said “no idea when you lost yours. No idea how you’re going to explain it to the Chancellor, good luck with that, maybe the meat will sweeten her disposition a bit. Bye guys!”

Clarke and Roan walked off in the opposite direction of their camp, knowing they would have to double back on themselves. They ended up walking through the night and reached their home just as dawn was breaking.

“Despite the freezing cold, it is so nice to feel clean again” Clarke said in the lake with Raven and the other girls.

“It’s good to have you back, and with three wolf pelts” laughed Zoe.

At breakfast, Raven and Miller said that two guards were sent to follow them. Fortunately they were about as surreptitious as a bull in a china shop so they double backed on them leading them back almost to the Alpha station before they hid in a cave that Miller knew about until the middle of the night when they took the chance of leaving then.

“I decided it wasn’t worth going back if that was the way they were going to behave. Before we left I warned Sinclair that I might not return and he said I should do whatever I was happier with” Raven said.

“I told my dad that I was definitely not going back, but I gave him directions on how to get here. Yesterday, Bellamy and Harper were out hunting and guess who they found. Surprise!”

Sinclair and David Miller exited the cave.

“We didn’t like the way the Exodus Charter was being enacted” said Miller senior.

“I liked the idea of starting from scratch, making things from the very beginning” Sinclair said. “So we decided to join you. We brought some tech supplies, another tablet and a couple of transmitters amongst other stuff. Hope that is okay?”

“We are not such a small team now, we will have to move” Roan said and Clarke warmed at the use of the word ‘we’. “How good are you with tech?”

Sinclair and Raven looked at each other and laughed. “There is no one in the whole world who’s better at tech than those two, why?” Clarke asked.

“I know of an island that is guarded by tech the like of which I have never seen before. If you can master it, I think it would be the perfect place for us to set up home” Roan said.

A quick look around showed that they were all interested.

“When do we leave?” Clarke asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I shall start a new story called 'More Different Choices' soon and make it part of a series. I'll aim to put 10 one shots per story. Please let me know if there's changes you'd like me to make to canon and I'll do my best.


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